Bread with Roasted Squash, Honey, & Thyme

     ... actually, it's Focaccia with Roasted Squash, Honey & Thyme; a recipe from Minneapolis bakery, The Salty Tart, and featured on the cover of this month's Food & Wine magazine. I'm a big fan of Michelle Gayer's bakery.  When my daughter was married two years ago, instead of the traditional tiered wedding cake, we went to the Salty Tart and chose fifteen different cakes that we displayed on various-sized stands on the dessert table. 
     The recipe for this focaccia reads differently, however, than you think it should after seeing the magazine's photo.  Food & Wine shows a flat, focaccia-type bread. But the recipe calls for forming the dough into balls for the last rise, with roasted squash slices pressed into the balls before baking.  Yes... this will give you a boule-like finished bread.  When a friend brought over one of the Salty Tart's roasted squash focaccia, it confirmed what I expected.  It was a (delicious!) roundish little boule.
     Flattening the dough with the tips of your fingers after the last rise and right before the squash is pressed into the dough, would allow the bread to bake a little quicker and possibly avoid what happened to me.  I had some trouble with the butternut squash blackening during the 25 minute baking of my bread. I pulled off the burnt squash and ended up attaching roasted squash slices with honey as adhesive after the bread was baked... still pretty perfect!

• •  FOCACCIA with ROASTED SQUASH
recipe from Michelle Gayer of The Salty Tart | via Food & Wine Magazine

STARTER
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup tepid water
• 1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
DOUGH
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing and brushing
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup tepid water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (from one 1/4-oz. packet)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
TOPPING
• One 1 3/4-lb. butternut squash or pumpkin -- peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Honey, for drizzling
• Thyme leaves and Maldon salt, for sprinkling

1.  Make the starter in a large bowl, mix the flour with the water and yeast.  Cover the bowl and let stand at room temperature overnight.
2.  Make the dough Grease a large bowl with olive oil.  In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the starter with the flour, water and yeast and mix at medium speed for 8 minutes.  Let rest for 20 minutes, then add the salt and mix at medium speed until smooth and tacky, about 8 minutes.  Scrape the dough into the greased bowl and shape it into a ball.  Cover and let stand in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and cut it in half.  Shape the dough into 2 balls and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Brush the balls with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4.  Meanwhile, prepare the topping Preheat the oven to 400˚F.  In a large bowl, toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the slices in a single layer on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and roast for about 15 minutes, until tender; let cool completely.  Increase the oven temperature to 450˚F. 
5.  Gently curl the cooled squash slices and press them into the dough.  Brush the focaccia with olive oil and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until risen and browned on top.  Transfer to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes.  Drizzle honey on top and sprinkle with thyme leaves and Maldon salt.  Serve warm.

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