Spring Rain and a Picnic

A quaint park with a shelter and sixty degree temperature is just fine for dining outside with my husband.  Today's menu highlight was the homemade focaccia bread, made with half spelt flour.  We sliced the individual rolls and filled with tuna salad and locally grown leaf lettuce.  That's diced tomatoes in an oil-vinegar dressing on the side and homemade applesauce for dessert.  

Spelt Focaccia

(10 Servings)

In bowl of electric mixer with dough hook in place, mix 1 cup flour, yeast and sugar.  Slowly add warm water.  Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
1 cup spelt flour
2 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 cup warm (125F) water

Add rest of spelt flour, olive oil and salt.  Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
3/4 cup spelt flour
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt 

Slowly add all purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time.  Knead at slow speed for 8 minutes, scraping down bowl every 2 minutes until dough leaves the side of the bowl.
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
Turn out dough into bowl greased with olive oil spray.  Turn to coat.  Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Punch dough down.  Divide into pieces, allowing a heaping 1/4 cup dough per portion.  Flatten into pans sprayed with olive oil spray.  I used mini pie pans and 7 inch pizza pans.  (2 scoops dough in the pizza pans) 

Brush each dough with olive oil and add toppings.  Allow to rise about 30 minutes.
1/2 cup each assorted shredded cheese (2 varieties)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 finely minced green garlic stem and bulb
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Mrs. Dash seasoning 

Bake at 400 F for 12 minutes, rotating pans at 6 minutes.

Our picnic today was at Morris Park in Fairmont, West Virginia.  It was once home to retired horses that pulled fire trucks.  There are no horses there today, but we did watch a family of deer nearby.