Herbed Focaccia Stuffed With Tomato And Provolone Cheese

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• yellow cornmeal
• 2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 7 -7 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried summer savory
• 1 cup olive oil
• sea salt
• 12 ounces sliced mild provolone cheese
• 1 1/2 lbs ripe plum tomatoes, sliced thin and wrapped in plastic wrap
• 5 ounces yellow cherry tomatoes or 5 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved crosswise

Recipe

• 1 oil lightly a well-seasoned 12 inch cast-iron skillet with vegetable oil and sprinkle bottom with cornmeal.
• 2 in a large bowl, proof yeast in ½ cup lukewarm water and ½ tsp sugar for 15 minutes, or until foamy.
• 3 add 2 cups of flour, salt, herbs, ¾ cup olive oil and 1 ½ cups lukewarm water and stir until combined well.
• 4 stir in 4 cups flour and gather dough into a ball.
• 5 knead dough on a floured surface, adding more of remaining flour if necessary, for 15-20 minutes, or until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky.
• 6 form into a ball, put in an oiled bowl and turn to coat.
• 7 let dough rise, covered tightly with plastic wrap, in a warm place, for 45 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
• 8 punch dough down.
• 9 knead lightly and halve.
• 10 in skillet, flatten and stretch half the dough to cover bottom completely.
• 11 with fingertips, dimple the dough in places 2 inches apart.
• 12 brush with 1 tblsp oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
• 13 arrange ¾ of the provolone, overlapping and leaving a ½ inch border; layer ¾s of plum tomatoes and top with remaining provolone.
• 14 on a flat surface, flatten and stretch remaining dough to fit skillet.
• 15 lay over filling and press edges together firmly to enclose filling.
• 16 make dimples in the dough in the same manner as before, brush with 2 tblsps oil, and sprinkle with more coarse salt.
• 17 arrange remaining plum tomatoes and cherry tomatoes decoratively on dough.
• 18 brush with 1 tblsp oil.
• 19 let dough rise, covered with dampened kitchen towel, in a warm place, for 30 minutes.
• 20 bake in upper third of a preheated 400f oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until golden-brown around edge, and let cool in skillet for 5 minutes.
• 21 serve hot or at room temperature.