Tomato Focaccia Stromboli Inspired Bread

I didn't grow up eating stromboli or focaccia. My Italian-American grandparents didn't feature either bread and neither did my parents. Rather, we ate the traditional Italian boule-shaped bread that was sliced for sandwiches or the wide baguette with pasta. I had my first bite of stromboli at a local pizzeria while I was in college. I swooned over it. It tasted like a stuffed pizza. By college had dropped the weight I gained in high school and was very careful about my eating. As much as I loved stromboli, it was a food I put into the "never ever eat again" food category of my life. I've rarely touched it but make an exception for a delicious stromboli my friend's husband makes. That one is packed with eggplant parm and is so delicious I barely eat the day I anticipate having it in order to keep calories low.

Focaccia isn't a bread I recall seeing or hearing much of until I was in my 30's. As soon as I saw that olive oil was the featured ingredient in focaccia, I sampled the bread, loved it but tucked it away as another "never ever eat again" food. The olive oil in the dough creates a rich, tender crumb that is perfumed by aromatics mixed into it and then the dough is topped with olive oil and salt. Most recipes recommend sprinkling the bread with salt but in a recent episode of "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" I saw Diego of Liguria brine the dough approximately 40 minutes before baking. It was an element I wanted to try. His description and recipe are etched into my imagination. As he shared the history of the bread I was transported to another era and could picture the small, seaside town and its dock workers. He poetically described the olive oil in focaccia as "lovable" and mentioned that Ligurian focaccia has a flavor like the saltiness of the sea air. He made me want to run out and get some good focaccia.

This recipe began as a way to use up 7 day-old bread. My resolve was strong. I wanted something low-calorieish and I also needed to use up the last of mini San Marzano tomatoes. I started by wetting my hands and touching the dough. As I touched the dough I was inspired to use up the focaccia topping I had in my pantry. Then I remembered the brine Diego used. From there everything came together.

Here it is - my love letter to aged dough, sweet acidic tomatoes and a golden crust that whispers: summer and its soft ocean breezes are around the corner.
 
NOTES

• This is a very hydrated dough so it will be sticky. Wet your hands to shape the dough and put flour on the board and on the top and bottom of the dough before rolling. I usually pat this into shape with wet hands. The shape doesn't have to be perfect.
• Next time I'm going to shape this like I would stromboli. Initially I envisioned this as a tart with the tomatoes peeking out but with a 7 day-old dough, it was very wet and challenging to shape. It's absolutely delicious and even if it looks a little wonky it's worth it!
• If shaping using the lattice top, cut the slits using a scissor or pizza cutter. I like a scissor because it won't damage the cookie sheet. 
• Play with the ratio of cheese to tomato. Next time I'll try it using more tomato and less cheese.
• Drizzle with pesto or add some torn basil if you have it.
• I used 7 day old pizza dough and it was fantastic. 
• The tomatoes in this recipe are broiled mini San Marzanos found at Trader Joes. I make them every week. To make: toss with a little garlic olive oil, sprinkle with salt and broil on the top rack for 5 minutes on high until the skins burst. Remove the skins and proceed.

RECIPE
Makes 6 servings
Per slice: 135 calories/2.1g total fat/1.3 saturate fat/12.5g carbs/4g protein/0g sugar

8 1/2 ounces MyBizzyKitchen skinny pizza dough (preferably dough that is at least 3 days old we want flavor here)
1 teaspoon dried herb of choice (I used a mix of rosemary and thyme)
1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
1 teaspoon pecorino romano grated cheese
4 tablespoons chopped cooked mini San Marzano tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Wet your hands and pinch the herbs into the dough. Flour surface of the dough and the board, shape dough into a 10 inch x 7 inch rectangle and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. The longest section should be facing you (10 inch size) a pictured above. Mix hot water and salt together. Set aside. Mix ricotta and pecorino together and using a tablespoon dollop evenly down the center of the dough and then spread down the center only of the dough. Then add the tomatoes on top of the cheese. On each side of the dough cut 3 slits on a diagonal stopping before you hit the cheese. On each end fold the dough over the cheese. Then take 1 slit and put across the center. Repeat on the other side and continue with the other 2 slices. Drizzle the salt water mixture over the dough. It'll look wet but it's fine. Bake until golden brown and the bottom is golden brown, approximately 23 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Allow to cool slightly on a wire wrack before cutting into 6 pieces. Baking time may vary if shaped like a stromboli.