I am a very reluctant bread maker. To hop, skip & run to the market for a fresh loaf appeals to me more than the agonizing time spent in waiting for the bread to prove & bake :P . A bread-baking newbie the walls of hesitation are strong, but the many tantalizing loaves of fellow bloggers are pushing me towards breaking them- and there is good news, I am slowly enjoying the many joys of a freshly minted home loaf !! Now take this focaccia for instance- there are so many posts on this bread with various combination of herbs & spices & toppings on the net ! The pictures of the various bookmarked recipes finally pushed me in to bringing this wonderful & delicious bread to my hearth.
Focaccia is an Italian oven-baked flat bread.It’s much like a poor man’s pizza and can be made either sweet or savory. The bread is dented/punctured on the surface(to relieve bubbling over) just before baking and that gives it a distinct flat-bread look !! The best thing about this bread is it can be customized to what your taste buds crave for at that moment ;also it does not require much sweating and generally can not go wrong. I recommend it to any novice bread maker to give this a try and get over the initial fear of making breads ! That said, I was totally anxious the whole time,, I heaved a sigh of relief only after the first bite of the crunchy yet moist n fluffy piece of delight !
The recipe is courtesy a whole lot of blog-hopping & in particular The Purple Foodie ! The bread was well loved and enjoyed with & without a variety of accompaniments ! This bread will sure make many more appearances in my kitchen !!
What’s in the bread :-
- All Purpose Flour – 250 gms
- Active Dry Yeast – 7 grams
- Olive Oil – 40 to 50 ml
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Warm water – 125 to 150 ml- as required
- Olives (Black & Green) – 1/2 cup – roughly chopped
- Dried Rosemary & Oregano – generous sprinkles
Here’s How:-
Activating the dry yeast was the first step. Refer the pack for instructions – I mixed little warm milk & sugar to get it frothy.
Now in a bowl, add the flour, salt, oil (retain a little for brushing over the dough later & for oiling the bread tin) & the warm water little by little(as required) and blend it to a sticky dough.
Work on the dough for a good 10-15 minutes to achieve a nice elastic consistency.
Return the dough to a well-oiled bowl, keep it covered and allow it rise. Let it rest for a minimum hour or two.
Once the dough has risen, return it to a dusted surface and blend in the chopped olives and knead again for 5 more minutes.
Transfer the dough to the greased baking tin and spread the dough to the size of the tin/tray (with hands) ! Let it rest again for 10-15 minutes covered.
Now dent/poke/dimple the dough with your finger tips gently and brush it with a coat of olive oil & sprinkle the dried rosemary & oregano generously.
In a preheated oven bake @ 220 C for 30 minutes or till it is golden brown.
Serve warm ! You can also store it in air-tight container once it is cooled completely !
Enjoy !
Yum …am planing to try my hands on focaccia too ..
I always go for yeasted breads…the focaccia has turned out super good.
I have heard of this.bread. Looks yummy and crunchy.. Nice Pics..
excellent
looks warm & delicious! Home bakes takes satisfaction to a whole new plateau, no?
Excellent recipe!!
Good job dear!!!
This looks fantastic. I love the smell of home made bread the best.
Focaccia looks perfect!
Looks wonderful and perfectly baked !!
Love the flavors in the Focaccia… Looks delish…
completely new recipe…sounds perfect n awesome dear..
Tasty Appetite
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I absolutely love focaccia, this is delicious :)
Love focaccia, looks prefect and fabulous..
bread looks great..homemade is always the best :)
Home made fresh bread… hmmm.. feels and tastes so good..
http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com
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looks great..
Looks delicious..perfectly baked
Great match Olive n rosemary, can't beat that..I've also bookmarked this many months back..Ur bread has come out well..Would love to have one of the slice from ur platter
Olive an rosemary focaccia looks awesome perfect, nice crumb and crust.