Italian Sausage & Herb Dressing Focaccia
A buttery crisp loaf of focaccia filled with all of the classic dressing ingredients. Softened onions, garlic and celery with fresh herbs and crumbled sausage make for a truly memorable loaf of bread.
Servings: 14
Ingredients
The filling...
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 large yellow onions, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons of fresh sage, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 16 ounces of ground Italian sausage
- salt and black pepper
The focaccia...
- 6 cups of bread flour (750 grams)
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of instant yeast (10 grams)
- 3 cups of chicken stock, warm (about 100 degrees)
- 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Cook the filling...
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter
- Once the butter has melted, add the diced yellow onion, diced celery ribs and minced garlic, season generously with salt and black pepper and cook for about 10 minutes
- Add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh sage leaves and cook for another 60 seconds or until the sage leaves have softened and then set aside to cool for a few minutes
Make the dough...
- In a large bowl, combine 6 cups of bread flour with a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of instant yeast
- Add the slightly cooled garlic, celery, onions and sage along with 1/2 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley and toss until everything is evenly distributed and coated in flour
- Add 3 cups of slightly warmed chicken stock and mix until you no long see dry ingredients and a sticky dough has formed
- Drizzle the top of the dough with olive oil and use your hands to ensure the entire top surface is coated in olive oil
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and transfer the dough into the refrigerator to chill for 12-48 hours
Finish the focaccia...
- Grease your baking dish/dishes and then add a tablespoon or so of olive oil into the bottom of each baking dish
- Remove the dough from your refrigerator and use a silicone spatula or fork to pull the dough from the sides of the bowl
- Divide the dough if baking in multiple dishes and transfer the dough into the prepared dishes
- Flip the dough over several times to coat it in the olive oil and let the dough rest at room temperature until fully doubled in volume (this will take between 2-4 hours)
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and cook 16 ounces of Italian sausage until browned and broken into small pieces. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
- When the dough is fully rested, drizzle the top of the dough with olive oil and crumble the browned Italian sausage evenly over the top
- Use your fingers to spread the dough out, gently press the sausage into the dough and leave dimples all over the dough (see photos above)
- Sprinkle the top of the dough with flaky sea salt
- Bake in a 425 degree oven for 25-35 minutes depending on the size of baking dish you are using (smaller dishes will be ready quicker than the larger one)
- Once the bottom of the focaccia is golden brown and crispy, transfer the baking dish onto a cooling rack for 5 minutes and then transfer the focaccia directly onto a cooling rack to cool fully before slicing