Focaccia Bread

 

Focaccia is a flatbread that hails from the northwestern region of Italy. It’s known for its holes and light texture. Which make it perfect for soaking up olive oil or sauces. Its also great for sandwiches. 

The ingredients are all purpose flour, yeast, water, salt, honey and olive oil. Focaccia bread doesn't require a lot of kneading. You only knead it for a few minutes to form a ball. Kneading builds gluten and will make the bread tough if you over do it. After the dough proofs, you gently fold the dough and let it rise a couple of times. The folding is what creates the airy texture. The recipe takes around 3 hours to make. It sounds like a lot of time, but keep in mind that you’re setting it aside and can do other things while its rising.  

The bread is very versatile. You can use different toppings like garlic, rosemary or kosher salt. Its fun to decorate it with tomatoes and fresh herbs to create flower patterns. Its also a good base for pizza. 

  

Ingredients:

4 cups All Purpose Flour

2 ¼ tsp instant yeast

1 ¼ tsp salt

2 cups of water

1 ½ tsp honey

¼ cup of olive oi

 Steps: 

Mix the dry ingredients, flour, salt & yeast.

 

Heat the water until its between 110 – 112 degrees.  Dissolve the honey into the water. 

 

Add in the water and olive oil.

 

Mix ingredients until a sticky shaggy ball of dough forms.

 

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead a couple of minutes until a smooth ball of dough forms. 

 

Place the dough in a bowl greased with olive oil

 

Cover the bowl with a towel. Place the covered bowl in a warm place for an hour or until it doubles in size. I like to proof the bread in my oven with the light turned on.  

 

Punch down the dough. Reach underneath the dough and gently pull it over to the other side. Repeat on the opposite side. Set aside for another 30 minutes to an hour.  Repeat the process. Punch down the dough, fold over, and set aside. 

 

Separate the dough into 3 portions. I like to use a kitchen scale to make sure each portion is equal. Generously grease the pans with olive oil. You want a thick coating of oil on the bottom and sides of the pans. It's best to use a metal pan. The heat from the pan and the olive oil are what make the bottom of the bread crispy. I like to use 9-inch cake pans. The round size stores well in the freezer. 

 

Place the dough in the center of each pan. Gently push the dough to the edges. Don’t force it. 

 

Cover the pans with a towel and set the dough aside for another 30 minutes for another rise. 

 

Now the dough should be relaxed enough to spread to the edges of the pan. If its not reaching the side of the pan, set it again for another 30 minutes.

 

Use your fingertips to punch dimples into the dough. The dough will be sticky, coat your hands in olive oils to keep the dough from clinging to your fingers. Brush the top of dough with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt or herbs. 

 

Bake the dough for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. The bread will be a golden brown color when it is done. 

Remove bread immediately from the pan and place on a wire rack.