Let's make Focaccia
We've all been couped up for over a month. Working from home, running out to the grocery store, and recreating fancy dinners at home. That's how we've been coping with all this. The other night we made a little Italian dinner and I decided to make some fresh focaccia. I had re-upped on my flour (things are running out at the grocery store) and gotten a big bag of yeast (which I freeze to keep fresh).
Everyone has been baking, mainly sourdough bread, but I decided to start small. I mean sourdough is an affair of its own. I will definitely give it a go soon though.
So I made focaccia and it came out really delicious. The great thing about focaccia is you can prepare it ahead of time and freeze the dough. I froze half my dough and next time ill make a focaccia pizza.
A few things make this recipe a little different. I used olive oil infused with garlic and rosemary. It gives the dough a lovely fragrant vibe and to be honest you could probably bake as is with some Sea or Maldon salt and it would be delicious.
Now, if you are a fan of garlic, you can add roasted garlic. I roasted garlic bulbs in the oven (surprisingly easy) and used that to top the bread. It was well, delicious.
Remember this dough can be prepared in advance and you can omit the add ons. It will still be delicious, but I strongly recommend doing at least one of the below.
Oven-roasted garlic:
Take two garlic bulbs and cut 1/4 inch off the top
Place face up in aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Wrap the foil tightly and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 400 F
Set aside.
Infused Olive oil:
In a pan add 1/3 cup olive oil, two rosemary sprigs and two garlic cloves.
Heat oil on medium to low heat for a few minutes (just enough to release the fragrance of the garlic and rosemary).
Set aside.
Adding these elements will differentiate your focaccia and be a sure crowd-pleaser at any party.
Focaccia Dough:
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup Olive oil (infused with rosemary and garlic)
1. Add yeast to warm water. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate. The yeast should foam.
2. In a separate bowl add in your flour and salt. Slowly add in your olive oil and stir until just combined.
Drop-in your water and yeast mixture and mix until combined (I did this by hand but you can use a mixer).
3. Form dough into a ball and place in a bowl (coated with olive oil), cover with a cloth, and allow to rise in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours. Or until it doubles in size.
4. Once the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. This dough does not need kneading. Simply cut the dough in half. Here you can freeze one half and save it for another time.
5. Place dough in a baking pan that has been drizzled with olive oil. Spread the dough out to all four corners of the pan. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for another 30 minutes to an hour in a draft-free warm area.
6. Once the dough is ready it will be puffy, use your fingertips to make dimples throughout the dough. This is the fun part.
7. Afterward, drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on the dough, here I added my roasted garlic and rosemary. Then sprinkle some good quality salt and voila!
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the bread is a nice golden brown.
Serve immediately.
Everyone has been baking, mainly sourdough bread, but I decided to start small. I mean sourdough is an affair of its own. I will definitely give it a go soon though.
So I made focaccia and it came out really delicious. The great thing about focaccia is you can prepare it ahead of time and freeze the dough. I froze half my dough and next time ill make a focaccia pizza.
A few things make this recipe a little different. I used olive oil infused with garlic and rosemary. It gives the dough a lovely fragrant vibe and to be honest you could probably bake as is with some Sea or Maldon salt and it would be delicious.
Now, if you are a fan of garlic, you can add roasted garlic. I roasted garlic bulbs in the oven (surprisingly easy) and used that to top the bread. It was well, delicious.
Remember this dough can be prepared in advance and you can omit the add ons. It will still be delicious, but I strongly recommend doing at least one of the below.
Oven-roasted garlic:
Take two garlic bulbs and cut 1/4 inch off the top
Place face up in aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Wrap the foil tightly and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 400 F
Set aside.
Infused Olive oil:
In a pan add 1/3 cup olive oil, two rosemary sprigs and two garlic cloves.
Heat oil on medium to low heat for a few minutes (just enough to release the fragrance of the garlic and rosemary).
Set aside.
Adding these elements will differentiate your focaccia and be a sure crowd-pleaser at any party.
Focaccia Dough:
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup Olive oil (infused with rosemary and garlic)
1. Add yeast to warm water. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate. The yeast should foam.
2. In a separate bowl add in your flour and salt. Slowly add in your olive oil and stir until just combined.
Drop-in your water and yeast mixture and mix until combined (I did this by hand but you can use a mixer).
3. Form dough into a ball and place in a bowl (coated with olive oil), cover with a cloth, and allow to rise in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours. Or until it doubles in size.
4. Once the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. This dough does not need kneading. Simply cut the dough in half. Here you can freeze one half and save it for another time.
5. Place dough in a baking pan that has been drizzled with olive oil. Spread the dough out to all four corners of the pan. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for another 30 minutes to an hour in a draft-free warm area.
6. Once the dough is ready it will be puffy, use your fingertips to make dimples throughout the dough. This is the fun part.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the bread is a nice golden brown.
Serve immediately.
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