Two Potato and Onion Bechamel Focaccia With Chimichurri

Focaccia is hands down the ideal beginner bread using yeast as it requires the minimum tools, skills and ingredients. Even then, at the end of the day its bread, therefore temperamental. Type of flour, humidity, room temperature, altitude, etc. differs in every kitchen -leading to varied results and sometimes unsuccessful! So, like any avid breadmaker I have been on a journey to find a “NO FAIL” Focaccia and drumroll for my version that will be perfect as long as the yeast used is alive and you follow the instructions to the T.

After playing around with several recipes online here I have my very own take that uselessly I have felt quite territorial about. The topping and sauce are obviously flexible but I will admit that this combo of crisp sweet potato and potato with onion and a cheat’s bechamel is simply out of the world. The chimichurri sauce is an evolved version of the one I picked up from a cooking workshop led by the chefs of BOKA restaurant in Chicago. Its our staple that we use on salads, roast veggies, sandwiches but nothing beats dunking this focaccia into that earthy zingy goodness! I have made this a zillion times including the vegan versions. Please be patient with all the ingredients and instructions and read the recipe thoroughly before starting. You will be rewarded at the end!

*If you would like to see a demo of before and after bake then tap here. Also, I have made several same day focaccia recipes and strongly prefer the results from a longer cold proving. Long story short, you can totally start this one in the morning and have it ready for dinner and it will taste just fine, not the best!

Ingredients (one 13” x 9” loaf)
Dough
500g Bread Flour (substitute with any strong flour with at least 10-11% protein). I use King Arthur Brand that’s readily available in the US however any high protein flour will work
420g Lukewarm Water
6g Granulated Sugar
14g Olive Oil (3 tbsp or more for finishing)
8g Instant Yeast (I exclusively use either Fleischmann or Red Star brands)
11g Sea Salt (I prefer Trader Joe’s brand but have been successful with 9g of Morton Sea Salt)

Topping
1 Medium (or 2 small) Yukon Gold Potato, as thinly as possible sliced (I prefer using a Mandoline however a sharp knife will work just fine)
1/2 Purple Sweet Potato, thinly sliced (substitute with regular sweet potato)
90g Cream Cheese (For the Vegan version I use the Trader Joe’s brand and for regular it’s either Philadelphia or Trader Joe’s)
1 heaping tbsp of Greek Yoghurt (Use any Plant Based Yoghurt of your choice)
8-10 Chive Blossoms, tips separated, and rest finely chopped (substitute scallions or regular chives)
1 tbsp Chopped Thyme
1 tsp Ground White Pepper (substitute with Black Pepper)
100g Shredded Gruyère Cheese (substitute with any Melty vegan Cheese of your choice)
1/2 Large Red Onion, thinly sliced

Chimichurri Sauce
1 large Garlic Clove or 2 small, smashed
4 Scallions, roughly chopped
15g Cilantro including stems (substitute with equal weight of Parsley leaves, not stem)
15g Chives
1.5 tbsp Light Soy Sauce or Tamari or Coco Aminos
1/2 Green Chile Pepper (optional)
3 tbsp White Wine or Champagne Vinegar (substitute with Apple Cider vinegar)
2 tbsp Orange Juice
1 tbsp Orange Zest
1/2 tbsp Maple Syrup
50-55ml Olive Oil (top quality preferable)

Directions
💥 Combine and mix flour and salt in a large bowl. In a large measuring jug or another container with spout, combine and mix rest of the dough ingredients. Once the yeast mixture look foamy (activated), pour it into the flour-salt mixture. Using a spatula, mix it really well so that the entirety of flour is hydrated (DRY FLOURY SPOTS is unacceptable!). With over 80% hydration, it may look loose or soupy but don’t worry just let it rest for 10-15 mins

💥 Now we will perform the “stretch and fold” action (that helps in building strength and structure of the bread) - with very wet hands, pull a handful of dough from 12 o’ clock position all the way up and fold over the bulk of dough to 6 o’ clock position. Repeat this action on all sides (3 o’clock and 9 o’clock) or until you are satisfied with the amount of tension you have built or until it roughly tightened up into a ball. Let it rest for another 10-15 mins and then repeat the “stretch and fold “ action one more time. After 30 mins and two rounds of tension building exercise, transfer into a large Tupperware. Form into a ball with smooth top (essential to trap the air bubbles inside) and seam side down, cover and put it in the fridge for 12-48 hrs

💥 Whenever ready to bake, prepare a 13” x 9” baking tray (preferably a jelly roll pan) by greasing with 1 tbsp oil then lining with a parchment (so that we avoid sticking to the pan situation). Add 2 tbsp Olive Oil on to the parchment and brush it thoroughly so that it’s well-greased. Now tipple the risen dough into the lined baking sheet

💥 Oil your hands well and fold one side of the dough to the middle and repeat with other side (think folding a paper into thirds). Now pinch the ends that meet in the middle and flip so that seam side is down and smooth side is up. Cover with an inverted tray (don’t use tea towel or plastic wrap as it will stick and alter the crumb structure while getting it off) or put in a large plastic bag to tie like a balloon and let it rise until it fills the pan completely (may take upto 3 hrs.). If not filling the tray completely then with oiled hands you can stretch the edges (from the bottom) gently towards the pan edges. During this time dunk potato and sweet potato slices into salted boiling water, let them soften for 8-9 mins. Drain and using paper towel pat dry the slices as much as possible. This helps in removing excess starch and getting crisp results

💥 Once well risen and filling the pan, the dough should look shiny, smooth and jiggle when the tray is shaken. Whisk cream cheese, yoghurt, chives (excluding the tips), thyme and pepper into a paste and chill in the fridge until needed. Now pre-heat oven to 435F or 220C

💥 Plop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture all over the dough and very gently massage it to cover the surface area as much as possible. With oiled fingers, now press the dough gently touching bottom of the tray to make dimples. Do this action a couple times (DO NOT GET CARRIED AWAY as too much dimpling will lead to structural collapse). Scatter shredded cheese & sliced onions all over; followed by potato and sweet potato slices. Finish with tips of chive blossoms and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 29-31 tsamins in the lowest rack or until it looks very golden (if you have a thermometer then stick it in the middle and if it reads at least 190F or 88C  then it’s done). Transfer the focaccia out of parchment on to a cooling rack or any perforated tray (helps to keep the bottom crisp instead of soggy).

💥 While the bread is in the oven or just before ready to serve, in a food processor - blitz all chimichurri ingredients into a glistening sauce like consistency. Cut the Focaccia into equal bite size squares and serve with chimichurri sauce, Enjoy! It’s truly my most favorite :)