Easy edible art brings grace to your spring table

Spring is all about bright colors and fresh things to eat, right?

If you’re looking for a no-fuss dinner option — cream of asparagus soup, anyone? — maybe the addition of a relatively easy and simply beautiful flatbread like this focaccia will make that simple supper more memorable.

You’ll see that I’ve given a weight measure for the flour, as well as the more common cup measure in the recipe below. That’s because the weight of a “cup of flour, scooped and leveled” can vary by two to four ounces. Weigh your flour when baking if you can.

I subscribe to the theory that there can never be too much of a good thing. If you do, too, go to town on the decorations for your pretty little flatbread. I’ve given some suggestions for decorations at the bottom of the recipe, but feel free to add whatever your heart desires.

It will always be beautiful in the end.

Artisanal focaccia

Makes about 8 servings

Look for active dry yeast, not rapid rise yeast, for this recipe. The slightly slower proofing time gives the dough time to develop additional complexity and flavor. In fact, if you have the time, refrigerating the dough for 12 to 24 hours after you’ve spread it on the baking sheet will develop those flavors even more. Be sure to remove it from the fridge at least 30 minutes before decorating and baking.

Ingredients

2 cups warm water (110ºF) divided

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2½ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 envelope)

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

24 ounces bread flour or all-purpose flour (about 5 cups spooned and leveled)

¼ cup olive oil for the pan and for drizzling on top of the focaccia after rising

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt, for sprinkling after dough has risen

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Vegetables, herbs, edible flowers and meats for topping (see note below for suggestions)

Preparation

Combine 1 cup of warm water with yeast and sugar and mix to combine. Set it aside for about 5 minutes or until it looks foamy.

Place the water/yeast mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook. You can also make this dough by hand with a bowl and spoon but it will be more work.

Add about 1 cup of flour and mix on low until combined.

Add the remaining water, olive oil, the teaspoon of kosher salt and half of the remaining flour. Mix on low until combined

Continue adding flour while mixing on low until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it’s still too sticky, add a couple more tablespoons of flour until it comes together. The dough will be very soft.

Keep mixing on low until dough bounces back when you poke it with a finger. Tip dough out of the bowl and knead on a lightly floured countertop for about 2 minutes.

Place dough into a bowl with about a tablespoon of olive oil, turning the dough until it’s oiled on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for one to two hours or until it has doubled in size.

Pour enough olive oil into a rimmed baking sheet so there is a thin layer of oil covering the entire bottom of the pan.

Put some olive oil on your hands to prevent sticking and then tip the focaccia dough out of the bowl. It will be slack and loose. Lay it in the pan and begin stretching it. If it shrinks back, let it rest for about 15 minutes. Don’t worry about getting it to the edges.

When you’re ready to bake, dimple the surface with your oiled fingers to create some areas where the olive oil can collect.

Drizzle olive oil onto the top of the bread until all the dimples have a little oil in them. Sprinkle kosher or sea salt over the dough.

Allow the focaccia to rise for 30 minutes, then decorate the top any way you wish with edible flowers, vegetables, herbs and meats. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Brush the decorations with more olive oil to prevent burning.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the focaccia bread is golden.

Note: Any (or all) of the following make good decorations for your focaccia: edible flowers such as pansies, rose petals, and marigolds; vegetables such as thinly sliced red or white onions, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, sliced Roma tomatoes or tomato roses, or sliced bell peppers of any color; herbs such as dried rosemary, bay leaves, chives (great for stems!), fresh or dried tarragon, fresh thyme sprigs, or Italian parsley.