Fake DIY Focaccia
We were out of bread, but...we had two store-bought pizza doughs in the fridge that were so proofed (old) they looked like the bags might explode. I pulled them out, pressed them each into 8 x 8 square pans. I brushed with olive oil, and let them rise on my counter for about and hour.
When it was time to bake them, I brushed with a little more olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt.
Then for one, I thinly- sliced the last-of-the-season's kumquats, and snipped some fresh chives. The other loaf got black grape halves and dried herbes de Provence (You can top with whatever you have in your fridge or pantry: dried or fresh fruit, herbs, onions, parmesan cheese, tomato slices, olives... just make sure to press your ingredients firmly down into the dough so they don't fall off as the bread rises in the oven).
I baked them both in the middle of the oven at 375 degrees until they were nicely brown and crisp on the top, but still had some pillowy-give-- about 20 minutes.
I cooled them on a rack for about an hour, and they were delicious! My kids just ate big slices with butter, but they make great sandwich bread, too-- slice the loaf in squares, then slice each square in half to make a "top" (with all the goodies) and a "bottom". Kumquat focaccia with brie and sliced apples? Grape focaccia with goat cheese and thinly-sliced Spanish chorizo? Yes, please!
