Pepper Focaccia Recipe
In this piece of art, while the artist is referring to the gastronomical loneliness of Turkish people who travel all over the world and taste everything they can find but still think that Turkish cuisine is the best, she also wanted to reflect the problems of Turkish people from all point of views who come together in the idea of "I wish there were a Turkish tea now" after eating a pizza in Napoli face abroad.
Just a joke of course. It's just normal focaccia with some flower shapes on top. I will not be humble though, it's really cute. Moreover, it is a huge step for me, who cannot even draw a stickman. Who knows, maybe the canvas I've used so far was wrong :)
There are those who say that focaccia is ancestor of pizza and the name mother of Turkish pastry poğaça. On the other hand, there are those who answer this as of course not. I can not say anything about being the ancestor of pizza, but it seems more likely to me that the poğaça comes from the word bohça (which means bundle), rather than focaccia. Especially considering that there are people that still calls the poğaça as pohça.
There is only one trick I will share about the recipe; stick to the waiting times. You can extend these times if the dough doesn't rise enough due to the room temperature. As a result, the dough should be well risen before putting it in the oven. Otherwise, it will suddenly rise in the oven and the small scale art work you perform will be wasted.
I can't say anything special about the embellishment, for it depends entirely on personal dexterity, talent, creativity and patience. It is not something that can be done by describing.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
- 3 cups of flour,
- 1 cup of lukewarm water,
- 2 teaspoons of instant yeast,
- 1 tablespoon of sugar,
- 1 teaspoon salt,
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 1/2 red pepper,
- 1/2 yellow pepper,
- Parsley, dill,
- Extra olive oil.
Preparation
- Take water, olive oil, yeast and sugar into a mixing bowl and mix,
- Add 2 cups of flour slowly and start kneading,
- Add salt and knead,
- Add the remaining 1 cup of flour gradually (do not pour it at once) and knead until you get a lightly elastic dough that doesn't stick to the hand,
- Make a ball, cover and set aside for 45 minutes,
- Knead the dough once more, cover it for 30 minutes,
- Knead the dough again, take on the counter and roll into a rectangular shape with a roller,
- Take the dough on a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper,
- Set aside for 20 mins.,
- Chop the peppers finely and arrange them on the dough in a flower shape,
- Put poppy seeds in the middle,
- Make branches with the branches of parsley, leaves with the parsley leaves, place the dill next to them,
- Spread olive oil on the shapes and press them (peppers and branches) to make them stick to the dough,
- Set aside 20 mins. more,
- Bake in a preheated oven at 190 degrees until golden brown.
Bon Appetit...