Foccacia- love all of it- the taste, the aroma and the way it is pronounced

The first time I saw and ate a slice of focaccia was at an Italian restaurant. Ooh la la!!! in an instant, I fell in love with the aroma, the texture and the taste of this wonderful bread. And definitely....also the way it is pronounced.

So, the next thing I need to know...... is how to make this at home. And that leads me to go online and check for recipes and follow other food bloggers to see how focaccia can be made in one's kitchen......and just as I thought, it comes under my category of easy cooking.

But, first of all what is focaccia?
Focaccia is a flat oven baked Italian bread. It is usually seasoned either with olive oil, cheese, herbs, meat and onions. It can also be flavoured with a number of vegetables. 

Most historians believe Focaccia originated with either the Etruscans of North Central Italy prior to the Roman Empire forming, or in Ancient Greece at the beginning of the first millennium BC, though flat unleavened bread has been made throughout the Middle East so identifying a specific culture responsible for the first focaccia loaves is almost impossible. That said, focaccia is slightly different..... in that the loaf does rise slightly so is not a traditional unleavened bread, and the focaccia recipe is mostly unknown in the Middle East, yet has a history of being prepared in Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and Spain.


In the recipe that I'm sharing here, I've topped it with black olives, red peppers and dried basil. So here it is. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cups warm water

2 teaspooons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method:
Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Put the bowl in a warm, not hot or cool, place until the yeast is bubbling and aromatic, at least 15 minutes.

In the bowl combine the flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1/2 cup olive oil and the yeast mixture. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 5 to 6 minutes until it becomes smooth and soft. Give it a sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky.

Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface, then knead it by hand 1 or 2 times. Again, give it another sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky.

Coat the inside of the mixer bowl lightly with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.

Coat a baking pan with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. (Now, this may seem excessive, but focaccia is an oily crusted bread. This is why it is soooooooooo delicious!).

Put the dough onto the pan and begin pressing it out to fit the size of the pan. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pan. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes....or as I'd like to call it, dimples, all the way through the dough. (This will create the characteristic craggy looking focaccia when it rises again.)

Put the dough in the warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 220°C. 

Lightly drizzle a little oil on top of the focaccia. Add the toppings at this time. Like mentioned earlier, I used black olives, red peppers and dried basil. Bake the dough until the top of the loaf is golden brown..... about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool before cutting and serving.

And there....it's done!!

Here are other ideas for toppings on the focaccia. Rosemary, cheese, mushrooms,onions, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, parsley.....the list is endless. I'd suggest not to have more than 3 toppings, else, it might turn out to be a nice thick crusted pizza.

Have your focaccia with soup/salad or make sandwiches with it or turn it into a pizza....or just have it as it is. It's absolutley a delicious bread.


So what are you waiting for? Go on.....Knead & Bake!!!