Modern Baker: Filled Ham and Cheese Focaccia

      The sixth recipe I made from the Yeast-Risen Breads section of The Modern Baker  by Nick Malgieri, was the one for Filled Ham and Cheese Focaccia, on page 119.  (We are not publishing recipes from the book, so if you like what you see, buy the book and bake along with or without us). 

      The ingredient list is not long:  all-purpose flour, salt, yeast, water, olive oil for the dough, then prosciutto (or other ham, so I used just plain old American ham), mozzarella (or some sort of cheese, so I used sharp Cheddar as the guys like that with ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, and black pepper for the filling, and then olive oil and a sprinkle of salt for the topping. 

      The recipe for focaccia is easy, once it is made you fill one side of it with the ham, cheeses, and pepper, fold over the other side onto it, transport it to the pan, spread it with your fingertips until it fills the pan, let it rise for an hour or two, and bake.  Easy. 

      The only thing I would change next time, and there will be a next time as it was very good, is that I would leave off the salt on the top as I thought it was salty enough with the ham and cheeses inside.  My kitchen was a chilly yesterday, so I am thinking that I should have let it rise a bit more before baking, so next time I will do that to get a higher rise.  That said, even with this small rise, it was all very tasty.  
      Definitely a repeat as it is easy to make, makes wonderful ballgame-watching food this time of year and Mark even packed it into his lunch for today, always a sign that something was a hit.  It's like a sandwich...all ready to go with the bread on the outside and the meat and cheese on the inside, extremely portable food!  Would be great for tailgates and picnics.

      If you would like to bake along or be a part of the Modern Baker group, you will find all that, plus a tab to link to the blogs posting the Breads, with the blogroll here.