After the cinnamon buns I was craving something savory. I have never made focaccia and thought I would take advantage of some of the fresh herbs in my Mums garden and try that.
This recipe for dough could be used to make multiple types of focaccia. I chose three different toppings for mine using the herbs and salt mixture for the basis. Then to one third I added parmesan and to the last third tomatoes.
The dough recipe itself comes from my new bread book however I have modified it some and added significant amounts of olive oil. That seems to be the trick to getting a really nice chewy but crunchy crusted focaccia. In fact I was so impressed with this recipe I was thinking of using it to make a nice thin crust pizza. I have been meaning to have another good pizza night to go along with my wednesday tv addiction. Also, I used the by-hand instructions so those are what I have laid out here since I haven’t tried the stand mixer versio
BTW, this was a huge hit at home. Even my dad who thought I was crazy to want to bake again had several pieces, and my Mum wanted the recipe.
2t active dry yeast
pinch sugar
3 1/2C unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/3C warm skim milk
1 1/2t salt
1/3C olive oil
Topping:
1/2C olive oil
2 cloves garlic
a handful fresh rosemary
1/2t dried basil
rock salt for sprinkling
plus tomatoes or cheese or roasted veggies as desired
1. In a large liquid measure warm the milk, then sprinkle the yeast, sugar and 1t of the flour. Stir and let sit until foamy, about 15 minutes.
2. Combine salt and 1C flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast mixture and oil and stir to combine. Beat the mixture using a dough whisk adding the flour 1/2C at a time until a sticky dough pulls away from the bowl. You really want it very sticky try not to add too much flour.
3. Knead on a lightly floured surface for about 2 minutes. It really should be sticky. If you need to add flour to keep it from sticking to your hands and work surface. Do try and not add to much flour. You will end up with a better crust if it is a sticky dough.
4. Form into a flattened ball and put in a deep greased container. Turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise somewhere draft free until tripled in bulk. About 1 1/2 hours.
5. While waiting for the dough start the topping. Peel and smash the garlic and add it to a warm pan along with the olive oil. Allow the garlic to get lightly brown. Remove from heat and place in a bowl. Roughly chop the rosemary and add along with the basil. Allow to come to room temperature.
6. Grease a cookie sheet with an ample amount of oil. Very ample. Roll out the dough into 1/4″-3/8″ thin. It will likely be very delicate.
7. Transfer to the cookie sheet and spread to fit. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise again in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
8. Once the foccacia has finished its last rise it is almost ready for dressing, but first we must indent it. Gently poke the dough with a floured finger making 1/4″ deep holes about 2″ apart. This will stop the dough from bubbling up and away from the pan. Remove the garlic pieces from the oil and drizzle on top, evenly spreading it out but letting the oil pool in the dots. If you have a brush that may help to spread out the oil but be gentle! If you don’t have at least a light coating of oil at this point don’t feel shy about adding more.
9. Sprinkle rock salt all over the top. The amount you use is really a personal taste thing. I would use about a tablespoon or so, but you should adjust.
10. Bake in a 400F for about 25-35 minutes. Allow to cool on a rack for a few minutes before slicing.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
this looks fabulous! I also made foccacia for the first time, last week, using a recipe from this book: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/books-978039305794/0393057941/Bread+Bible
Anyway, the one that I made actually laminates the herbs etc onto the dough. It looked so pretty, so it’s just another option for you some day.
I come back and read almost every day. Thanks so much for posting!
I am totally lame, but what how do you laminate the herbs in?
you’re not really lame. I should have explained it further. If you can glance at the book, I’m sure that the description will be better than this (pictures!) but I will try.
Shape the dough into a long rectangle (about 10×6, if I remember correctly). On one long edge, roll out approximately one inch of that edge so that it is wide enough to cover the rest of the loaf. You will end up with one puffy part, and one very thin part. Brush the puffy part with water, layer the herbs (and cheese if you like) on that side, and then fold the rolled out part over the top, covering all edges. With a rolling pin, lightly roll the top until the herbs come into relief–but not so hard that you flatten the rest of the loaf. Voila, you’ve laminated the herbs into the loaf.
Hope that helps!
That makes sense, though you would think it would flatten the dough, but I am sure it doesn’t if you know what you are doing
Well…you don’t touch the puffy side until the very end, and I found that it doesn’t take much pressure at all to get it to work.
If I knew how to add pictures here, I could show you the one that I tried
I guess this just means that I have to bump the Bread Book to higher on my list.
or check it out at Chapters…which is how I get a lot of my ideas! Yup, my first pasta dough recipe came from there!