Vegan Wild Garlic Focaccia with Crispy Potatoes
Holy Moly, this little wild garlic focaccia did not make it easy for me. Yeast dough and I are buddies, and also, with toppings like crispy potatoes and roasted pine nuts, I am always on board. But here I'll let you in on a bit of secret: Was I still chasing the wild garlic for this recipe while the dough was already waiting for me in its mold? Maybe. I didn't even find it at the farmer's market. But spoiler: I did find it in the end (as you might figure as there's some in the pictures). And after a little sporty session on the bike across Berlin, the Shoot continued. Luckily, so now there is the recipe for wonderfully fluffy, airy-soft focaccia. Including wild garlic!
A few notes on the recipe: the more time you give the yeast dough to rest, the fluffier your result will be. It's best to add the salt after it's already risen. This way, the yeast can work more efficiently. Fresh out of the oven, the dough is warm and fluffy, and the potatoes still crispy, which is how I like it best. But you also can rebake the focaccia in the oven the next day or toast it. Wild garlic is in the season. Look for it on the farmer's market or in supermarkets. And you could harvest it in the woods if you like. Larger supermarkets offer it frozen (perfect for satisfying wild garlic cravings all year round). It can easily be replaced by fresh garlic, onions, or herbs of choice. Omit the potatoes if you like, just like the pine nuts, which you can substitute, too. Almonds go well. Use any other seeds or nuts can you want.
Vegan Wild Garlic Focaccia with Crispy Potatoes
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 250 g (2 cups) wheat flour type 550
- 7 g (2 tsp) active dry yeast
- 200 ml (1 cup) lukewarm water
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
For the topping:
- 60 g (2 oz) fresh wild garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small potatoes
- 2 tbsp pine nuts for the topping
- 3 tbsp olive oil for oiling
- salt
Instructions
Dough
- Mix flour, active dry yeast, and brown sugar in a bowl. Add lukewarm water and let sit for at least 10 minutes.
- now mix the ingredients with a mixer for 10 minutes to a smooth dough. It is quite liquid, which is fine.
- Cover the yeast dough with a damp tea towel and let it rise for as long as possible. At least 1 h, I let it rise for 3 h at room temperature and then again overnight in the refrigerator. Now add salt to the dough and knead it in.
- Use the oil to cover a small baking dish (20 cm x 25 cm / 8 inch x 10 inch). Spread the dough in it and let it rise again for at least 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F top and bottom heat.
Topping
- In the meantime, wash the wild garlic and cut it into strips. Mash it in a mortar with olive oil and a little salt. Cut potatoes into thin slices.
- Spread the wild garlic on the focaccia and work it into the dough with your fingers. If the dough sticks, wet your hands with water or coat them with olive oil.
- Arrange the potato slices on the yeast dough and sprinkle them with pine nuts. Bake the focaccia on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until the pine nuts and potato slices are brown.
- Remove from the oven. The focaccia tastes best fresh after baking when the dough is fluffy, and the potatoes are crispy.
