Focaccia 
Make this today!! Focaccia is easy, fast, unbelievably yummy, and will make you feel like you are in Italy.
Yes, Dr. Sue is deep into Italian cooking. My recent experience was in the Lunigiana region where the cooking is rustic and honest. In terms of your kitchen this translates into very good ingredients with a minimum of preparation.
Focaccia is so easy you really must make this right away - preferably today or over the weekend. For goodness sakes, they charge $5.00 for a small round of focaccia at my farmers market and yours will be much better.
Yes, Dr. Sue is deep into Italian cooking. My recent experience was in the Lunigiana region where the cooking is rustic and honest. In terms of your kitchen this translates into very good ingredients with a minimum of preparation.
Focaccia is so easy you really must make this right away - preferably today or over the weekend. For goodness sakes, they charge $5.00 for a small round of focaccia at my farmers market and yours will be much better.
I have been looking at Focaccia recipes. This is my adaptation for rosemary focaccia but it will work just as well with other toppings such as pesto, tomato, herbs, or cheese:
Dr. Sue's Easy Focaccia
Active time mixing ingredients: about 5 minutes.
Waiting time for dough to rise: about 2 1/2 hours.
Cooking time: about 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup hot water (bath temperature)
1 packet active dry yeast
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup good olive oil plus more for drizzling
fresh rosemary leaves (buy a rosemary plant if you do not already have one)
course sea salt for sprinking on top
Method:
Pour hot water into a bowl. Dissolve the sugar in the water. Feel the temperature - it should be like a comfortably hot bath. Sprinkle the yeast from the packet on top of the water and let sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast forms a thick foam.
Stir in one cup of the bread flour into the yeast mixture. Stir the mixture vigorously 100 strokes or more with a wooden spoon. This is the key step. You will see the mixture transform from lumpy to smooth and shiny - a miracle in the bowl! I learned this step a long time ago from the Tassajara Bread Book and it still works beautifully.
Let the mixture rise for about one hour. Then stir in the salt, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the remaining cup of flour. Knead the mixture for a few minutes the best you can by folding it over itself in the bowl. It will be very sticky. Wet or oil your hands so the dough does not stick to you. It does not have to be perfect - just well mixed. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the entire ball of dough so it does not stick to the sticky bowl. Cover the bowl and let rise for one more hour or 1/2 hour if you don't have enough time.
Punch the dough down. Generously oil a baking sheet. Put the dough on the oiled sheet and push it out into a rectangle. Let the dough rise for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour. Heat the oven to 475.
When the dough has risen some, poke depressions in the top with your fingers. Generously sprinkle olive oil, fresh rosemary, and coarse salt on top. Bake until the bottom is brown and the top lightly browned - about 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. You can easily double this recipe for a larger batch. Once the initial rising is complete, the bowl rising and the baking pan rising can be shortened if need be. This recipe is very forgiving especially when you use generous amounts of good olive oil. Cut into squares to serve.
Dr. Sue's Easy Focaccia
Active time mixing ingredients: about 5 minutes.
Waiting time for dough to rise: about 2 1/2 hours.
Cooking time: about 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup hot water (bath temperature)
1 packet active dry yeast
2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup good olive oil plus more for drizzling
fresh rosemary leaves (buy a rosemary plant if you do not already have one)
course sea salt for sprinking on top
Method:
Pour hot water into a bowl. Dissolve the sugar in the water. Feel the temperature - it should be like a comfortably hot bath. Sprinkle the yeast from the packet on top of the water and let sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast forms a thick foam.
Stir in one cup of the bread flour into the yeast mixture. Stir the mixture vigorously 100 strokes or more with a wooden spoon. This is the key step. You will see the mixture transform from lumpy to smooth and shiny - a miracle in the bowl! I learned this step a long time ago from the Tassajara Bread Book and it still works beautifully.
Let the mixture rise for about one hour. Then stir in the salt, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the remaining cup of flour. Knead the mixture for a few minutes the best you can by folding it over itself in the bowl. It will be very sticky. Wet or oil your hands so the dough does not stick to you. It does not have to be perfect - just well mixed. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the entire ball of dough so it does not stick to the sticky bowl. Cover the bowl and let rise for one more hour or 1/2 hour if you don't have enough time.
Punch the dough down. Generously oil a baking sheet. Put the dough on the oiled sheet and push it out into a rectangle. Let the dough rise for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour. Heat the oven to 475.
When the dough has risen some, poke depressions in the top with your fingers. Generously sprinkle olive oil, fresh rosemary, and coarse salt on top. Bake until the bottom is brown and the top lightly browned - about 10-12 minutes. Do not overbake. You can easily double this recipe for a larger batch. Once the initial rising is complete, the bowl rising and the baking pan rising can be shortened if need be. This recipe is very forgiving especially when you use generous amounts of good olive oil. Cut into squares to serve.
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