Salsa Macha Focaccia
Salsa Macha Focaccia
Salsa Macha Focaccia
Hannah Tobin-Bloch
8 to 12
Years ago, when we were preparing to launch our Salsa Macha Mix, I made a delicious salsa macha using our prototype spice blend, and brought it with a pan of homemade focaccia to my family’s Thanksgiving. My family and friends became obsessed. Now, despite my yearly request to get reassigned to dessert, these are the only dishes I'm allowed to bring to the table.
For those not in the know, Salsa Macha is a Mexican condiment blending chiles, alliums, and nuts or seeds, all cooked in a neutral oil. Over the years, I’ve changed up the recipe, using pecans or walnuts in place of peanuts, adding dried cranberries or cherries, blending to peanut butter consistency or leaving it chunky. Every version is a good version, but this year I’m going a step further.
My “Salsa Macha Focaccia” combines my two Thanksgiving contributions into one beautiful, tongue-tying, pan of bread. Instead of drizzling plain olive oil on the dough before baking, this recipe spoons Salsa Macha liberally over the dough while baking. The nuts toast over the top of the bread while baking, resulting in an all-in-one version of my family’s favorite side dishes.
But I’ll give you a fair warning: Once you bring it to the table, you might lock in your Thanksgiving role for the foreseeable future. I make great pie, too, I swear!
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 ½ teaspoons yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
- 3 1/3 cups cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 2/3 cup warm water
For the brine:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup warm water
Olive oil nut mixture:
- 3 tablespoons Salsa Macha Mix
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup raw walnuts, chopped roughly (or a nut or seed of your choice, such as pepitas, cashews or almonds)
For topping:
- More olive oil, flaky salt, microgreens or cilantro, crumbled goat cheese or queso fresco.
Directions
The night before:
Stir all ingredients for the dough together until a shaggy dough forms and there are no dry spots. It will be quite wet. No need to knead.
Transfer to large bowl generously coated with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, 12-24 hours.
The next day:
Coat a 9x13 pan generously with olive oil.
Transfer dough from fridge to the pan, and gently stretch it so it reaches the corners.
Drizzle the dough with olive oil, then let rise until it’s doubled in size, about 1.5-2 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Dimple the dough by pressing your fingers into it, creating deep holes all over. Don’t be afraid to be aggressive!
Inspired by Samin Nosrat’s Ligurian Focaccia, prepare a brine to pour over the focaccia to encourage browning and impart a rich salty flavor. Dissolve salt in warm water, then drizzle over the dimpled dough.
Mix together the olive oil nut mixture, then spoon all over the dough. Press the topping into the dough with your fingers, dimpling it again with deep holes, to help it stick.
Bake 20-30 minutes until browned all over, keeping an eye on the topping. If nuts look like they’re browning too fast, consider moving to bottom rack.
To serve:
(Optional) Once out of the oven, drizzle or brush an extra tablespoon of olive oil over the dough, and sprinkle with additional salt and toppings.
