Focaccia Bread with Cherries and Goat Cheese

I was inspired to make this after flipping through an old wine country book that had a picture of a gorgeous focaccia bread studded with harvest grapes. It was very autumnal and looked so pretty that I thought I would like to make a summer version. That is what led me to this lovely recipe for focaccia bread with cherries and goat cheese.

For the bread, I actually just used a pizza dough recipe, and infused it with some fresh rosemary.

Then I got to the toppings. I kind of thought that cherries would not only give the bread a similar look to the grape focaccia, but they have such a wonderful sweet and tart flavor that they can kind of play with being savory.

And since I can never leave good enough alone, I went ahead and added these red wine caramelized onions . And then I sprinkled creamy goat cheese over the top.
And then I drizzled more oil and sprinkled more salt.

Bake to a golden brown and enjoy!

Focaccia Bread with Cherries and Goat Cheese, makes 12 servings
-1 cup water (105-115 degrees)
-1 packet yeast (1/4 oz)
-2 2/3 cup flour
-1 tsp Kosher salt
-1 tsp sugar
-5 Tbs Olive oil
-2 Tbs fresh rosemary needles

-16 cherries, pitted
-2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
-3 Tbs red wine caramelized onions

1)In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the warm water and let it “bloom” which means get puffy and frothy with a few bubbles around the edges. This should take 10-15 minutes.

2)Meanwhile, in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, salt, sugar and rosemary.

3)Add the yeast to the mixer, and mix on low to incorporate.

4) With the mixer running, add in 3 Tbs of olive oil.

5) Mix on medium-high for a few minutes or until the dough comes together into a smooth ball.

6) In a large bowl, grease the dough and the bowl with the remaining 2 Tbs of olive oil.

7) Cover the bowl with a damp dish cloth and leave it to rise for at least an hour.

8) When the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

9) Prepare a sheetpan with a silpat or with parchment.

10) Stretch the dough into a rectangle, about ½ inch thick.

12) With your thumb, indent the dough in a grid (15 indentations, 5 across and 3 down.)

13)Place the cherries in the indentations.

14) Scatter some of the red wine caramelized onions over the surface of the bread.

15) crumble the goat cheese over the top of the bread too.

16) I like to drizzle with some additional olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.

17) Bake the bread at 425 for about 12-15 minutes or until golden.

18) Slice and enjoy hot or at room temperature.