Italian Focaccia Bread Made Easy

Well, today is Monday and I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! 

The last few months I’ve had this craving for fresh baked bread. I’ve baked several different types, but one of my favorites is Italian Focaccia. Now, if you’re not familiar with this type of bread, Focaccia is just a rustic Italian bread flavored with rosemary, a little kosher salt on top and the loaf is dimpled, drizzled with olive oil on top and flatter than what you might be accustomed to eating.

There’s something special about the smell of the rosemary and the salt on the crust that just makes your mouth water.  You can serve it at the table with butter or my favorite way is to fill a shallow dish with basil, orange or lemon infused extra virgin olive oil. You can also add a little balsamic vinegar to the oil in the dish and you’ll have a great flavor combination that will not soon be forgotten!

Now, don’t be intimidated by a bunch of fancy cooking terms and techniques you might think only a trained chef can do.  The basics of bread are really simple if you follow the recipe…it’s just flour, water, sugar and a little yeast! So, try this recipe out for dinner this week or the next time you entertain…your bread will be the talk of the town!

4 ½ cups bread flour

2 cups water

2 packages of dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary rough chopped (or to your taste)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Put 1 cup warm water in bowl, add yeast and sugar. Whisk until dissolved and wait 10 minutes until foam forms on surface. Put flour in mixing bowl; add salt, rosemary and 1 tablespoon olive oil. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment. Add water slowly and mix until dough ball forms and bowl will then be clean. I don’t mix much longer than 5 minutes and then dough is ready to transfer to a bowl that has been coated with olive oil. Cover with moist cloth.  Now here’s a trick to get the dough to rise faster. Turn your dryer on for a couple minutes until warm. Open the door, place bowl inside and close door. Now…don’t turn the dryer on! Just let the bowl stay in there for 50 minutes and the dough should double in size. Put a little oil on your hands (to keep the dough from sticking), knock the dough back down and reshape into ball, cover and put back into the warm dryer again ( I’ll usually reheat the dryer again as before). Let dough rise for 20 more minutes.  Remove from bowl, make into two rounds and place on lightly oiled cookie sheet. Spread dough out as if making pizza but you can shape this rectangular so it fits easily on pan. Using your fingertips, make dimples, with a basting brush, brush on olive oil, sprinkle kosher salt to taste and more chopped fresh rosemary. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then lower temp to 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Cooking times can vary with each oven, so check and remove bread when golden brown or remove it earlier if you like your bread softer. Cool slightly on a wire rack and then cut into squares and enjoy!

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