This recipe makes about two 12" x 9" focaccia breads. If you have some extra bread dough leftover, you can bake it plain for some delicious freshly-baked bread on the side too!

Ingredients

FOR THE BREAD DOUGH:

3 cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) dry yeast

TO LOAD ON TOP:

4 cups whole brussels sprouts, washed

1 white onion, halved and sliced

3 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 Granny Smith apple, grated

3/4 tsp coarse sea salt

1 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp vinegar

freshly ground black pepper to taste

(optional) shredded vegan cheese

(optional) 3 tbsp pasta sauce or tomato sauce

Directions

FIRST, START THE DOUGH:

1. In a large bowl, heat the water until it is lukewarm.
2. Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Stir gently and cover the bowl. Let the yeast proof for about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the vegetable oil.
4. Add in the flour, sugar, and salt. Knead the dough by hand with a dough hook on a stand mixer. If the dough is too dry, you can add in a splash of water or oil. If the dough is too sticky, you can add in some more flour.
5. Transfer the dough onto a floured countertop, and knead it by hand it a few times until it is smooth. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover the bowl.
6. Let the dough rise for at least 1 hour, or until dough doubles in size.
   

PREP THE BRUSSELS SPROUTS WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THE DOUGH TO RISE:

1. Slice the brussels sprouts thinly along their vertical axis.
2. In a bowl, mix together the brussels sprouts, onions slices, Italian seasoning, pepper, and grated apple. Don't add the salt at this point since that'll cause the mixture to become too watery.
3. Drizzle in the maple syrup and vinegar. Optionally add in some cheese if you'd like. Stir the mixture.
   

BACK TO THE DOUGH:

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch out the air bubbles.
2. Separate the dough into two parts (or three, if you're saving some extra dough to make plain bread).
3. Roll out 1 part of the dough into a 12" x 9" rectangle that is about 1/2" thick.
4. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
5. Transfer the rolled out dough to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and let it rise for about 12 more minutes in this form.
   

TIME TO BAKE!

1. In the center of your oven, bake the flat dough for about 5 minutes.
2. Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and optionally spread about 1 1/2 tbsp of pasta sauce or tomato sauce over the top.
3. Place 4-5 spoonfuls of the brussels sprouts mixture on top of the dough, and spread it out evenly across the surface of the bread and as close to the edges as you can.
4. Place the baking sheet back in the oven for about 12-15 more minutes, or until the bottom of the focaccia is golden-brown, and the tips of the brussels sprouts and onions are just starting to get charred by the heat. If you added in cheese, it should be warm, melty, and starting to brown slightly as well. If the brussels sprouts mixture is cooking/browning faster than the focaccia dough, you can cover the top of the focaccia with a piece of foil and leave it in for a few more minutes so that it cook evenly.
5. Once you think the focaccia is cooked through, remove it from the oven, transfer it to another surface, and let it cool for at least 5-7 minutes before diving in! Enjoy.