FOCCACIA

For the month of April Rachael of pizzarossa and Sawsan of Chef in Disguise took us on a trip to Italy. They challenged us to try our hands at making focaccia from scratch.  Focacica is a family favorite on visits to Italian Restaurants so I was looking forward to doing this challenge.  I halved the recipe as I didn't think our family of four would be able to finish the full recipe.  I kept it simple and decided to top the focaccia with sea salt and fresh rosemary from our garden.  The house smelled fantastic while the focaccia was in the oven.  We could hardly wait to dive in once it came out!  My husband and I only got to try a little piece while our girls polished off the rest of the focaccia!  Needless to say it was well liked by all!  We will be visiting Italy for a few days this summer and are excited about trying truly authentic focaccia ... screw the carbs!   

{Basic Focaccia}

Prep: 15 min

Servings: 8 slices

{Ingredients}

2-3/4 cups (660 ml) (385 gm) (13½ oz) all-purpose (plain) flour

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) white sugar

1 tablespoon (15 ml) (8½ gm) active dry yeast

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) garlic powder

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) dried oregano

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (3 gm) dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

1¼ cups (300 ml) milk (you may need up to 1½ cups (360 ml))

2 tablespoon (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

{For the topping}

Fresh rosemary chopped

Sea salt (or regular salt)

Olive oil for topping

{Directions}

In a bowl mix the milk, yeast and sugar and wait until it becomes foamy and bubbly (This indicates that your yeast is active, if the yeast doesn’t bubble and foam it has gone bad and you can’t use it)

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, , garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Mix in the vegetable oil, then add the milk-yeast mixture.

Stir with a wooden spoon till the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic (around 10 minutes)

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil.

Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. (If you are tight on time you could heat your oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4 then turn it off and place the bowl with the dough in it)

Center your oven rack, preheat oven to hot 450°F/230°C/gas mark 8.

Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a ½ -inch (15 mm) thick rectangle or any shape you desire.

To give the dough the dimples effect, use your fingertips , pushing gently all over the surface of the dough

Place your selected topping

Brush top generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, rosemary and salt.

Allow the dough to rest for 10-15 minutes

Bake in preheated hot 450°F/230°C/gas mark 8 oven for 15 minutes, or until the sides begin to brown then place under the broiler (grill) till the top becomes golden brown.

Serve warm