Feta and Mixed Fruit Focaccia #BreadBakers

Slightly sweet and a little savory, this feta and mixed fruit focaccia is the perfect snack to eat with a cup of tea or even a cold glass of beer or a cocktail. The somewhat bitter candied peel and soaked dried fruit are a great combination with the salty feta and soft pillowy bread.

It’s time for my Bread Baker friends to share their recipes again and today’s theme or ingredient is dried fruit. I was quite delighted when our host chose this theme because I have a big bag of mixed fruit that was supposed to be a steamed Christmas pudding, which never materialized. Mainly because my husband and I are the only ones who like it and who can be bothered some years, if you know what I mean. 

Mixed peel is a combination of raisins, sultanas and currants with candied orange and lemon peel. It’s used in fruit cakes, tea loaves, Chelsea buns, and, of course, traditional British Christmas cakes and steamed Christmas puddings.  

Mixed fruit is available year-round in British supermarkets but it really comes into its own during the holiday season. One spot on a shelf in the baking aisle often becomes a whole table of it in the front of the store with other seasonal items like fondant icing, marzipan, confectioner’s sugar and Christmas decorations.

If you can’t find mixed fruit where you live, you might find this Q and A on Nigella Lawson’s website helpful. 

Feta and Mixed Fruit Focaccia

This recipe is an adaptation of one from King Arthur Flour baking website. Theirs is much sweeter and doesn’t contain any feta. I stand by my decision. We enjoyed this version much more than we would have a wholly sweet bread. 

Ingredients

3/4 cup or 110g mixed fruit

3/4 cup or 80ml boiling water

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon instant yeast or active dry yeast

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 1/2 cups or 187g unbleached bread flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 oz or 50g feta, crumbled

Method

In a large bowl, combine the mixed fruit with the boiling water; let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the fruit, reserving 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid; set the fruit aside.

Add the sugar and sprinkle the yeast over the top of the reserved soaking liquid and set aside to proof. 

If your yeast is active, it should start to bubble up and get frothy. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the soaking liquid.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the beater paddle, combine the flour and salt. Mix just to combine. 

Add the soaking liquid/olive oil mixture and all but about 2 tablespoons of the fruit. The reserved mixed fruit will be used to top the focaccia. Mix until the fruit is evenly distributed, but the dough is still tacky, about 3 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 1 minute.

Prepare one 8" or 20cm square pan by coating the bottom with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. 

Place all of the dough in the pan. Grease your hands and spread the dough out as much as possible without tearing it.

Cover the dough and let it rest, pressing it out every 10 minutes until it fills the pan; this may take up to about 40 minutes. 

Then let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 

Meanwhile, near the end of rising time, preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C.

Just before baking, grease your fingers and press dimples into the risen dough.

Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle the reserved mixed fruit and crumbled feta over the top. 

Bake in your preheated oven until the focaccia is deep golden brown on the top and bottom, about 25 to 30 minutes. If it starts to brown before you think it's cooked through, cover the top with foil. 

Remove from the oven and transfer from the pan to a rack to cool. Despite the olive oil, mine tried to stick to the pan. A gentle prod with the spatula did the trick to release it. 

Cut into squares or rectangles using a serrated knife, and serve warm.

Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, it’s Bread Baker time, the second Tuesday of every month and we are sharing bread recipes with dried fruit. Many thanks to our host, Kelly of Passion Kneaded! Check out all the links below. 

• Apricot Braided Breakfast Bread from Sneha's Recipe
• Cranberry Raisin Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Fennel and Golden Raisin Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Feta and Mixed Fruit Focaccia from Food Lust People Love 
• Panettone from Culinary Cam
• Pineapple Sour Cream Coffee Bread from A Messy Kitchen
• Walnut Raisin Wool Roll Bread from Passion Kneaded

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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