Culinary SOS: Little Dom’s fruit focaccia

Dear SOS: Little Dom’s in Los Feliz makes an amazing fruit focaccia. It’s a little sweet, a little savory, personal-sized with lots of olive oil and whatever fruit is in season. It’s so amazing, they often sell out before late-risers (like myself) arrive. Could you get the recipe for me?

Jenn Kao

Los Angeles

Dear Jenn: These light and airy focaccia — cute little rounds, perfect single servings — are topped with a scattering of bright, fresh fruit and a light sprinkle of fresh rosemary for a striking composition. Perhaps a bit surprising at first, the combination makes for a perfect match, satisfying sweet and savory cravings at the same time.

Little Dom’s fruit focaccia

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, plus overnight refrigeration and rising times for the dough

Servings: Makes 8 individual focaccia.

Note: Adapted from Little Dom’s

1 1/2 teaspoons (about 2/3 of a 1/4-ounce packet) active-dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon, divided

1/2 cup sugar plus 1/2 teaspoon, divided

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons room-temperature water

2 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/4 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing and finishing

3 cups fruit (small berries or larger fruit diced into roughly 3/4-inch pieces)

1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast into warm water along with 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and one-half teaspoon sugar. Set aside until the yeast begins to activate and become foamy, several minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a separate large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the remaining 2 cups of all-purpose flour with the bread flour and salt.

3. Add the room temperature water and oil to the yeast mixture, and whisk to combine.

4. With the mixer running or by hand, add the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture until combined. Knead with the paddle attachment on medium speed, or by hand, until smooth, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place the ball in a separate, large, well-oiled bowl. Smooth olive oil over the ball and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough overnight.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 8 equal pieces, each about 3.7 ounces in weight. Form each piece into a ball and place on a well-oiled baking sheet (you will fit about 4 per sheet, using 2 sheets total). Set the sheets aside in a warm place until the dough has puffed and doubled in size, about 1 hour.

6 Dimple the dough with your fingers (oil your fingers so the dough does not stick), then set aside until puffed again, about 30 minutes. Dimple again, then repeat once more. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

7. After the final dimpling, add the fruit to the focaccia, distributing the fruit evenly among the pieces and pressing the fruit firmly into each focaccia. Sprinkle the chopped rosemary evenly over the focaccia, and drizzle olive oil over each piece. Sprinkle the remaining half-cup sugar over the focaccia, about 1 tablespoon per piece (try not to get too much sugar on the sheets as it can get sticky and make it difficult to remove the focaccia).

8. Place the sheets in the oven and bake until puffed and golden-brown around the edges, about 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through for even baking. Remove and cool slightly before removing from the sheets and serving.

Each serving: 377 calories; 8 grams protein; 81 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 3 grams fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 28 grams sugar; 439 mg. sodium.

SOS REQUESTS: Send Culinary SOS requests to [email protected] or Culinary SOS, Food section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Please include your name, phone number and city of residence.