Description
A festive and delicious Christmas Tree Focaccia, beautifully decorated with fresh rosemary, pear slices, cherry tomatoes, and pearl onions. This recipe uses a slow overnight rise for a flavorful and airy bread topped with colorful, fresh ingredients to create an eye-catching holiday centerpiece.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/4 tsp coarse salt
- 1 2/3 cups warm water
Toppings and Finishing
- 1 small pear, thinly sliced
- 10 pearl onions, peeled and halved
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Coarse salt, for sprinkling
- Olive oil, for drizzling (a few tablespoons)
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, active dry yeast, and coarse salt until combined. Add the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is shaggy and wet. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel, then let it sit on the counter overnight, at least 12 hours, to rise and develop flavor.
- Shape the dough: The next day, drizzle olive oil into a 7×12 inch casserole dish. Tip the risen dough out of the bowl into the dish and spread it out with your hands to fit snugly. Dimple the dough with your fingers and drizzle more olive oil on top. Cover lightly and let it rest for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven and decorate: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Decorate the dough by arranging rosemary sprigs as the tree branches, using thin pear slices as the tree base and topper, halved cherry tomatoes as ornaments, and halved pearl onions for additional decoration. Use thinly sliced red onion as desired to add more visual interest. Sprinkle the decorated dough with a little coarse salt.
- Bake the focaccia: Place the decorated focaccia in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the bread is puffed, golden, and toppings are set.
- Cool and serve: Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it rest a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- For best results, make sure the water for the dough is warm, not hot, to activate the yeast properly.
- The overnight rise develops deep flavor and a light texture, so don’t skip this step.
- Feel free to customize your Christmas tree decorations with other fresh herbs or vegetables depending on what you have on hand.
- Use plenty of olive oil to keep the focaccia moist and flavorful.
- If you prefer a thicker focaccia, use a smaller baking dish or stretch the dough less.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approximate)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
