Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Focaccia

Focaccia is a flat oven baked Italian bread. It has a nice crispy outer crust and is soft from inside. You can top it with tomatoes, rosemary,herbs,caramelized onions, cheese, meat etc. Olive oil is one of the key ingredient in this recipe.This Focaccia reminds me of Dominos garlic bread.
Focaccia
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup olive oil (I have used extra virgin olive oil)
1 tsp dried thyme 
1 tsp dried basil (you can also use dried rosemary)
1 3/4 tsp instant yeast 
1/4 tsp honey
1 cup warm water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp freshly grounded black pepper
1 tsp salt
Olive oil for greasing
Method:
In a pan, place olive oil, minced garlic, black pepper, thyme, and basil.
Place pan over low heat and cook until aromatic. Remove from heat before the garlic turns brown.
Place 1 cup of flour in a large mixing bowl along with salt and honey. Add 1/4 cup of the olive oil mixture and stir. 
Now add the instant yeast and warm water. Stir. Add the remaining flour. Stir again. Once the dough comes together transfer it to a floured work surface and knead it for 10 minutes until smooth, form a round ball.
Grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough in it with the seam side down. Apply some olive oil on the outer surface of the dough to avoid formation of skin. Cover the bowl with a cling foil and keep it in a warm place. Let the dough rise for an hour until it has doubled in size.
After an hour, preheat oven to 230 degrees C or 450 degrees F.
Now take a 9 inch by 13 inch rimmed baking tray (jelly roll pan). Grease it with 2 tbsp of the olive oil mixture. You can also use parchment paper to line the baking sheet and then spread the olive oil mixture over it.
Transfer the dough onto the baking sheet. Stretch the dough out to spread it in the baking sheet. On spreading, the dough will take the shape of the baking sheet.
Use your fingers to make dimples on the top surface of the dough.
Now drizzle the remaining olive oil mixture over the top. Cover the baking sheet with cling foil and let the dough rise again for 20 mins until it puffs slightly.
You can even spread some parmesan cheese on top.
Bake on the bottom rack for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Transfer Focaccia to a cooling rack and let it cool slightly before cutting it into slices. Serve warm.
 Note:
The water should not be very hot or else it will kill the yeast. It has to be warm to activate the yeast, around 110 degrees F.
You can substitute instant yeast with 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast. Place warm water, honey and yeast in a small bowl and let it sit for few minutes to activate the yeast. Now add this to the flour along with the olive oil mixture.
You can substitute dried herbs with fresh chopped thyme and rosemary, around 1 tbsp each. 

Adapted from Inspired taste



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