Perfect Focaccia Bread From Your Kitchen

Pronunciation: foh-kah-chuh

• A large, round, flat Italian bread.
• A flat oven-baked Italian bread product similar in style and texture to pizza dough.
• A beautiful golden Italian flatbread made of yeast, flour, water, fruity olive oil, and sea salt. They are humble ingredients, but the sum is much more magnificent than the individual parts.

Etymologists tell us that the name 'focaccia' is derived from focus, the hearth on which this popular flatbread was baked by ancient Romans. And because of the vast extent of the Roman Empire, panis focacius (hearth bread) spread all around the Mediterranean.

Yes, unleavened breads are even older (think of the Israelites under the thumb of Egyptian royals or manna in the desert), but focaccia, although flat, is not an unleavened bread. Natural airborne yeasts gave rise (literally) to the type of bread we recognize today.

If you have read my post on making a perfect loaf of bread, none of this will be surprising to you. But if perchance this is your first thought of making bread at home, I think that you will find this recipe forgiving and extremely easy and fun.

Dough

• 1 cup warm water, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 envelope (2 teaspoons) dry yeast (not instant)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for greasing bowl

Topping

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons coarse (Kosher) salt

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 10 minutes or until bubbly.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour; add the bubbly yeast mixture, the remaining 3/4 cup warm water, and the olive oil. Stir to combine.

3. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic—about 10 minutes.

4. When you have finished kneading, place the dough in a large, lightly greased mixing bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so that the entire ball of dough is greased. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place, away from drafts.

5. Let the dough sit in this cozy safe place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. One way to test if the dough has risen enough is to lightly and quickily press two fingertips into the dough about 1/2 inch. If the indentation remains, the dough is ready for the next step.

6. Punch down the dough by pushing your fist into the center of the dough. Pull the edges of the dough to the center, and then place the dough on a lightly floured surface. It will be smooth and bubbles will be visible under the surface.

Proofing is what happens when you allow the yeast in dough to ferment, thus causing gas bubbles that inflate the dough. Why do we want "inflated" dough? It is the inflation, the formation of bubbles that create a sturdy crust, a tender crumb, chewiness, and flavor. If proofing (rising) does not occur, you will have a flat, and probably very dense and hard loaf of bread—something more akin to hardtack than bread.

7. Brush baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place the proofed (and punched down) dough onto the prepared baking sheet and pat into a 10-inch by 8-inch rectangle.

8. Brush the surface of the dough with the remaining olive oil; sprinkle with the rosemary and coarse salt. Dimple (indent) the surface of the dough with your fingertips.

9. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffed and doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.

10. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden on top. Serve warm.

So, that's the basic recipe. Of course, you can omit the rosemary if you desire a very simple, basic loaf.

Or you can add fruit, cheese, tomatoes, meat—whatever you want. Here are some recipes to help you expand focaccia from a simple bread to an appetizer, main dish, or dessert.

Jennifer is a food blogger in Ontario, Canada who loves to share simple, seasonal recipes, that don't take a lot of time but produce the most delicious results. One of her creations is this recipe for focaccia with sweet apples and salty/tangy aged Cheddar cheese. Wouldn't this be perfect as an appetizer with a glass of crisp white wine or some sparkling water?

Allow me to introduce you to Jenn. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and is the creator of this wonderful sweet/savory focaccia. Here is the "About Me" from her blog:

I have a background in food science and nutrition, and started Foodess as a creative outlet during a particularly heavy part of my degree. Science labs and chemistry textbooks were kind of sanitizing my reasons for choosing a food path in the first place: a love of cooking and a life spent obsessing about what I could eat next.

I began my career with a lovely little job developing recipes in a test kitchen and providing technical baking support for a flour company. I now work full time as a blogger, with a bit of freelance food photography, recipe development and food writing on the side.

Tessa Arias is everything I want to be when I grow up—she has a culinary degree, over six years of experience in food writing, a blog, and a published cookbook. And she created this savory, meaty, cheesy pizza-like focaccia.

"Puttanesca" is a type of pasta—garlic, and tomatoes (of course), but brightened with the addition of briny capers. Brandy (aka Nutmegnanny) has taken those familiar flavors and plated them on a savory tomato-y flatbread.

Anjana is located at the corner of Happy and Harried, a sweet blog filled with crafts, pretty photographs, tasty foods, and sweet treats. She created this Strawberries and Focaccia recipe which I absolutely LOVE. The flavors remind me of a turnover my German-Russian mother baked years ago when I was a child—yeast dough filled with sugar-simmered strawberries.