This stinging nettle focaccia has a fluffy interior, a crusty almost deep fried exterior, and the intensely green and slightly spicy flavor of stinging nettle.
Every summer, my dad and step mom bring me a huge supply of stinging nettle from their house upstate where it grows like crazy. For those who have never heard of nettle before, it’s essentially a weed. Over the past few years it’s gained a lot of culinary popularity for its health benefits, its abundance, and of course its taste. Stinging nettle has a strong “green” flavor (like spinach on steroids) with a hint of grassiness and pepperiness like arugula. Last summer I used stinging nettle in a pesto, and this year I decided to bake it into bread and make this stinging nettle focaccia. Focaccia is one of my favorite breads because of its crusty exterior and fluffy interior, and this stinging nettle version is no different with its thick, almost deep-fried crust, its airy interior, and a burst of stinging nettle flavor in every bite.
It’s hard to describe the exact flavor of this stinging nettle focaccia, but it’s unlike any bread I’ve had before. It’s definitely intensely “green,” with an earthiness from the nettle, and a little extra herbaceous bite from some dried oregano as well. All I know if that my family and friends (at Sunday dinner last weekend) seemed to love this bread, so if you can get your hands on some nettle I most definitely urge you to try this recipe.
COOKING WITH STINGING NETTLE
Stinging nettle gets its name from tiny, needle-like hairs that cover the plant and sting/irritate your skin when touched. If you live in a rural area, you probably have stinging nettle growing nearby in an unmaintained grassy area. It can be somewhat hard to come by for culinary purposes (you definitely won’t find it in the grocery store), but I think it’s worth going out of your way to find. If you live in the country, you can try foraging for it. Or if you’re in a city, you might be able to get your hands on it at the farmers market. I have tons more information about what stinging nettle is and how to use it in my Leek and Stinging Nettle Pesto recipe. But I’ll also leave a few tips for dealing with stinging nettle here.
- Always wear gloves and cover exposed skin while dealing with stinging nettle to avoid skin irritation. Once the nettle is cooked or dried, it can no longer “sting” you.
- To cook nettle, blanch it in salted boiling water for 90 seconds, then shock it in a cold water bath. Squeeze it dry and use in place of spinach or other sautéed/blanched veggies.
- Use fresh nettle in a tincture or infusion. Be sure to let the infusion sit in a cool, dark spot for at least 1 week, preferably longer.
- Dry the nettle by bundling the stems with twine and hanging them in a cool, dry spot for 1-3 weeks. You can use dried nettle as you do any other spice or herb by mixing it into any dish or bread dough. Or use it to make teas, tinctures or infusions.
THE PERFECT STINGING NETTLE FOCACCIA
This stinging nettle focaccia recipe is essentially a normal focaccia recipe that incorporates blanched and chopped stinging nettle into the dough. Focaccia is the perfect vessel for stinging nettle because it’s a bread that’s already frequently baked with herbs (think rosemary or oregano focaccia), and using bread to carry the flavor of the nettle mellows out what is otherwise a very intense taste. I used the New York Times focaccia recipe as a base recipe because it’s one I’ve used many times before, and I think it makes delicious bread. The recipe includes a slow rise in the fridge that contributes to an almost sourdough like flavor, and a bake in the oven that includes tons of olive oil to give the stinging nettle focaccia a super crispy almost deep-fried crust.
While I love the taste of nettle and think it pairs perfectly with focaccia, you could also use another type of green in this focaccia dough. I chose to pair stinging nettle with oregano in this recipe, because while I love nettle’s flavor, it’s a strong one that benefits from the subtlety of another herb. If you didn’t want to use stinging nettle (or couldn’t get your hands on any), you could use blanched and chopped spinach or arugula instead. Or, for an extra herbaceous bread, you could try a blend of tons of herbs – like basil, parsley and chives – finely chopped and incorporated into the focaccia dough.
Stinging Nettle Foaccia
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh stinging nettle or other green
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 tsp sea salt
- olive oil
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water and blanch the stinging nettle in it for 90 seconds. Remove the nettle and place in a cold water bath. Pick the leaves from the stems and wring them out in a kitchen towel to remove excess water. Finely chop the leaves by hand, or puree in the food processor.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, oregano and salt. Add the warm water and chopped stinging nettle and stir until a sticky dough is formed. No kneading is necessary, but if the dough is too sticky to handle you can add a bit more flour.
- Liberally oil a separate large bowl. Place the dough in this bowl, turning it to coat it well in the oil, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Move it to the fridge and allow to rise slowly for at least 12 hours, but preferably 24 hours.
- When you're ready to bake, liberally oil a 9×13 baking pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and stretch it with your fingertips until it reaches the corners. Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled, 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450. Use your fingertips to make indentations all over the top of the focaccia, then drizzle with more olive oil and top with a sprinkle of flaky salt. Bake, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 25-30 minutes. Allow the focaccia to cool on a rack and enjoy warm.
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