Tomato Herb Focaccia -- Bread for the Table When a Friend Comes Back

Late June, the summer going. The first cherry tomatoes are starting to turn — a few Sungolds showing their orange color, not quite ripe but close. Two more weeks for the full season. The cucumber surplus has begun and I've started the pickling runs: a batch of dill pickles on Monday, bread-and-butter pickles on Wednesday, the pantry jars multiplying on the counter before they go to the cellar.

Bill from Maine came for a second visit. He drove up on Saturday and stayed until Monday — two nights, which felt about right. His first year he'd come for two nights and the visit had been the first real meeting after two years of letters. His second year it's different: easier, more fluent, the way conversations are after you've had some of them. We cooked together both evenings — his choice, his preparation, me advising when he asked. He made a proper roast chicken Saturday night, from scratch, first time he'd done it outside his own kitchen. He said: why does it taste different here? I said: it doesn't. He said: it does. I said: the kitchen, maybe. The altitude. The air. He said: I think it's that I'm not doing it alone. I said: yes. That's part of it.

He walked the memorial garden on Sunday morning. I showed him the Japanese maple, the iris, Carol's plan for the peonies next year. He stood there for a while. He said: you built something here. I said: Carol designed it. He said: you both did. He understands things like that. The credit belonging to both of you without being divided from either of you. That's one of the things I value about him.

The Saturday night Bill made that roast chicken — his first time doing it outside his own kitchen — I wanted something on the table that matched the care he was putting into it. The Sungolds were nearly ready in the garden, but the cherry tomatoes from the market were ripe enough, and focaccia felt right: something you press your hands into, something unhurried, something that fills a kitchen with a smell that makes a place feel like yours even when it isn’t. That’s what the evening asked for.

Tomato Herb Focaccia

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour rise) | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110°F)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided, plus more for the pan
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 3/4 teaspoon dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, for topping
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Activate the yeast. In a large bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy.
2. Mix the dough. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the kosher salt to the yeast mixture. Add flour one cup at a time, stirring until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky.
3. First rise. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until roughly doubled in size.
4. Prepare the pan. Generously coat a 9x13-inch baking pan with olive oil. Transfer the risen dough to the pan and gently stretch it toward the edges. If it springs back, let it rest 10 minutes and try again.
5. Dimple and top. Using your fingertips, press deep dimples all across the surface of the dough. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top. Press the halved tomatoes cut-side down into the dimples. Scatter the thyme and rosemary evenly over the surface. Finish with flaky sea salt and black pepper.
6. Second rise. Cover loosely and let rest for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425°F.
7. Bake. Bake for 22–26 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are pulling away from the pan. The tomatoes should be blistered and just beginning to caramelize.
8. Cool and serve. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve warm alongside roast chicken or with good olive oil for dipping.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 265 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 41g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg