Focaccia Bread (Italian, Yeasted Flat Bread)
Focaccia Bread
Steve Lister
Focaccia is an ancient Italian flat bread, which was traditionally baked on a hot tile. It is now cooked in an oven. Though yeasted, it is flattened by pressing several 'pits' made using fingers, onto which olive oil is brushed/dotted. This keeps the bread moist. The bread may be topped with a herb of choice (rosemary, sage, marjoram) and other ingredients like garlic, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, meat, fish and coarse rock salt. It can be eaten on its own or served with other foods.
Makes 3-4 12 inch breads.
Ingredients
Bread mix
4 coffee mugs (about 700 gm.) of strong bread flour
3 x 7 gm. fast acting yeast sachets
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
5 tbsp. olive oil
1-2 coffee mugs of hand warm water
1 tsp dried rosemary (ground to a powder)
1 tsp dried thyme (ground to a powder)
Topping
A handful of fresh rosemary sprigs pulled off the stalks
4-6 cloves fresh garlic, finely sliced, to get a good covering on all 3-4 lots of bread
100-200 ml. Olive oil for dressing
A small handful (25-50 gm.) grated parmesan/Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese
Sea salt (or salt of your choice)
Instructions
Easiest way is to use an electric mixer with dough hooks, but if you do not have it, mix in bowl and the knead by hand.
Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, pepper and dried rosemary together in a bowl.
Add and mix in the 5 tbsp. of olive oil.
Add water and make dough, about 5 minutes of good kneading, until smooth.
Divide into 3-4 evenly sized balls, and roll on a floured board to a thickness of about 1/2 an inch.
Place on an oiled and floured baking tray.
Poke little dents all over the top using your fingers.
Drizzle olive oil over and then push in the sliced garlic, fresh rosemary, sprinkle with cheese and a little salt. You can use other toppings.
Leave to rise for about 30 minutes, in a warm kitchen. You may have to push the dents back in after a while, as they fill up when the bred rises.
Bake in a medium high oven 200�C or 380 �For Gas Mark 5, until it rises and colours a little.
Add a little more olive oil and bake further until a light golden brown in colour. Baking takes about 15 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Optional
Add extra Parmigiano to the flour mix
Add extra toppings of small cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion etc.
