The Sunday Recipe: Simple Foccacia

May 17, 2020 at 5:00 am (Recipes)

The Sunday Recipe: Foccacia

Imagine having warm and yummy bread to go with dinner in just over an hour, any day of the week. This is fast and super simple, based on a pizza dough I’ve been using for years. You can modify it to your tastes easily and it is perfect with soup. My daughter does not like to see herbs on anything, so this just had olive oil and Parmesan on it. I served it with buffalo chicken wing soup this week.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour (and a couple handfuls more for kneading)
• 1 cup of very warm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (and more for brushing or drizzling)
• 1 packet or 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (instant is fine but not necessary)
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Optional: ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 to 3 teaspoons Italian herbs (basil, oregano, garlic), fresh chopped garlic

Directions

1. Measure the flour by weight on a kitchen scale (360 grams) or by fluffing with your measuring cup, dip the cup in, then level with the flat side of a knife, and pour into a bowl.
2. Stir in the yeast, salt, and sugar. (I like to use a whisk for this.)
3. Heat the cup of water until it is very warm, but you can still put your finger in for a few seconds.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mix, and pour in the warm water and olive oil.
5. Use a rubber spatula to stir the wet and dry ingredients together.
6. Prepare a bowl with a light coating of olive oil.
7. Sprinkle a handful of flour on a clean counter or cutting board and turn out the dough.
8. Knead the dough for five minutes, adding the other handful of flour halfway through.
9. Place in the oiled bowl and turn over.
10. Cover with a towel and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.
11. After 30 minutes, punch down the dough and press into a tin, either a pizza tin or a jelly roll pan.
12. Cover and let rise 15 more minutes while you preheat oven to 400 degrees.
13. After 15 minutes, uncover the dough and make indents with the tip of your finger every inch or so over the dough.
14. Brush the dough with olive oil, about a tablespoon or more.
15. Add Parmesan cheese, chopped garlic, and/or other spices you like.
16. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown all over.
17. Enjoy!