Tomato and Cheese Focaccia

I made this a couple of weeks ago for a grown-up only dinner.  It was delicious.  The recipe calls for brie, but I didn’t want to spend a small fortune on brie, so I broke one of my own rules.  I used Monterey jack cheese because that’s what I had on hand, but mozzarella would be great too.  I also used fresh tomatoes instead of canned because well I am usually drowning in tomatoes this time of year.  The dough was so much fun to knead, it was smooth and very soft, but not sticky, a lot like play dough.  Greg and I ate almost the whole pan in one sitting.  I served it as a main dish instead of an appetizer with a Caesar salad, oh and peach crème brulee for dessert (a recipe for next year when peaches are on again).  I might have to make this again real soon because I still have a lot of tomatoes coming on.

Tomato and Cheese Focaccia

Prep Time: 20 min + rising
Bake: 25 min.
Yield: 12 servings if being served as an appetizer, 4 servings if eaten as a main dish

Family Friendliness: This is basically pizza with chunks of tomatoes, instead of sauce and the cheese isn’t shredded but cubed, so I think most kids would like it if they could get pass the chunkiness.  Honestly, we didn’t share this with the kids. J

Ingredients                                                                                (Photo from tasteofhome.com)

2½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour                                        
2 pkg. (1/4 oz. each) quick-rise yeast
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1 c. water
¼ c. plus 1 T. olive oil, divided
1 can (14½ oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. Italian seasoning
6 oz. Brie cheese, cut into ½ in. cubes (or whatever cheese you want)

Directions: In a large bowl, combine 2 c. flour, yeast, sugar and salt.  In a small saucepan, heat the water and ¼ c. oil to 120˚ to 130˚.  (The water will make the dough pretty warm.)  Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.  Place a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.  Punch dough down.  Press into a greased 9 x13 baking pan.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning and remaining oil.  Spread over dough; top with cheese.  Bake at 375˚ for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is melted.  Place pan on a wire rack to cool.     

(This recipe came from Taste of Home magazine)