Focaccia Brushwood

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 and 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 and 1/8 teaspoons instant dry yeast
• 1 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 1/4 cup durum wheat flour
• 2.5 – 2 and 3/4 cups premium flour
• 1.5 tsp coarse sea salt

Syrup

• 1/4 cup white corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons of water
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings

• 0.5 cup chopped dried cranberries
• 0.5 cups chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
• Demerara sugar and cinnamon, poppy seeds, sesame seeds for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, oil, and flour and mix well. Add the all-purpose flour one cup at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon after each addition.
2. Once the dough becomes too difficult to stir with a spoon, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and continue kneading until all the flour is incorporated into the dough (you may not need the last 1/4 cup flour) and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
3. Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 90 minutes, until doubled in size.
4. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a 30x40 cm rectangle. Sprinkle half of the rectangle with chopped dried cranberries and chocolate, and cover the filling with the other half of the dough, pressing lightly, then roll out a little more. Cut the dough into 12 rectangles.
   
   Using a small knife, make a slit down the center of each rectangle.
5. Turn the dough out through the slit to create a twist, and arrange each twist 5 cm apart on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover the twists with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.
6. Syrup. Bring corn syrup, water, and vanilla to a boil and generously coat each twist. Mix demerara sugar with a little cinnamon and sprinkle generously on top.
7. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Bake the twists for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Then let them cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. The twists are best served the same day they are baked.