I first tried focaccia bread at Theobroma. This was at a time when I didn't even know how to pronounce focaccia (it's foe-kat-cha fyi). And it was love at first bite. I always buy some focaccia to bring back home. My family relishes it. It's such a rustic bread and topped with such delicious things that it's like eating a pizza. Basic focaccia dough requires just 5 ingredients - olive oil, flour, water, yeast and salt. The beauty of this dough is in its simplicity, which is why it lends itself to so many variations. Once you have mastered the dough, your toppings are endless. And it's the perfect option for novice bread makers as its easy to prepare and doesn't require any fancy kneading or shaping techniques.
For my focaccia, I've divided the dough to make two loaves - one with garlic, rosemary, thyme and oregano; and another with garlic and olives.
Adapted from The Joy Of Cooking
1 1/3 cups of warm water
2 1/4 tsp of active yeast (if using dry yeast double the quantity)
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
Olive oil*
2 tsp salt
*I estimate atleast 2 cups of olive oil. This dough uses a lot of olive oil as you will read below, so really use your own instinct while using olive oil, more the better!
Suggested toppings:
Dried herbs like Thyme, oregano, rosemary, basil or dill
Olives
Tomatoes
Onions
Cheese
Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl and let it stand for 5 odd minutes until the yeast is dissolved.
Add the rest of the ingredients (approx 2 tablespoons of the olive oil right now), minus the toppings, and mix for a minute. Now knead for 7-10mins until the dough has come together and is smooth and elastic. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn it so as to even coat the dough with oil.
Cover with cling film and keep in a warm place for 60-90mins to let it rise. Pssst....this dough is actually now a pizza dough. You can actually punch down the dough, let it rest and then add your favourite toppings to make pizza. I'm digressing...pizzas is for another day and a different blog post.
After the first rise, divide the dough in half and roll each piece out to a 1/2 inch thick round (this isn't necessary, I did it as I was making two variations). Transfer to well olive oiled baking pans. Cover with oiled plastic wrap for 1 1/2 hours to let it rise again.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Remove the cling wrap before baking. Press the dough with your fingertips to make indentations all over. While this step includes getting your hands dirty, don't skip it. Not only does it make the bread look good, dotting the bread creates multiple wells which help preserve moisture in the bread. Drizzle 1/2 cup of olive oil over the dough and add your desired toppings.
Bake for approx 25 mins or until the bread is golden brown. Serve warm as is or as sandwich bread at room temperature.
The trick to making good focaccia is to ensure you create a lot of dimples into the dough with your fingertips. And then drizzle enough olive oil into those dimples. These crevices absorb the oil while the focaccia bakes creating a bread with a beautiful crust with a tender interior (see below).
