Focaccia

Nothing beats a wedge of fresh focaccia bread. Dipped in flavored olive oil and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese, it’s a great accompaniment to any pasta entree in lieu of a baguette. This recipe came from an issue of Family Fun magazine in the late 90’s, and was touted as easy to make, even for the novice bread baker. So those of you with bread-making anxiety can handle this one. Making bread is like playing with Play-Doh, and really, how hard is that?

You can flavor this however you’d like. I usually make it with Italian seasoning, but any dried herb will do—like rosemary, or chives. But I’d stick with the savory ones over the sweeter spices like dill or tarragon. And you don’t have to serve it as a side to a meal. It can be the main attraction! Split the baked round in half lengthwise, fill with deli meats, cheese, and fresh spinach, and slather with Dijon mustard. Then replace the top and cut in wedges like a pie, and you’ve just made a killer sandwich.

There are a few different methods used to raise dough. I put a few inches of hot water in my kitchen sink and put the bowl right in the sink, covered with a damp dish towel. (My mother-in-law used to rise her dough in an oven on low heat, but I’ve never gotten the hang of that.) When we lived in a v1920’s house with a teeny tiny kitchen, and I’d raise my dough in the bathtub for lack of counter or sink space. So you don’t need a big, fancy kitchen to make bread, people!

Makes one 12-inch loaf

2/3 warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or other dried herb of choice)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Fill large mixer bowl with hot water to warm it. Pour out water, and add 2/3 cup warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top of water and add honey. Let it sit until the yeast is dissolved and begins to foam. Add 1 cup of the flour, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning (or other herb) garlic salt, and 3 tablespoons olive oil to the bowl. Fit mixer with dough hook attachment and stir ingredients on low. Add additional 3/4 cup flour and stir on low until dough clings to hook and pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil into a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Sprinkle the cutting board with flour, and knead dough a few times by pulling dough from outside to inside and punching down as you do. Add a sprinkling of flour as needed, if dough gets sticky. Continue until dough is smooth and elastic. Put dough into the oiled bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Once the dough has risen (roughly doubled in size), punch down and knead a couple times to reform into a ball. Sprinkle cutting board with flour and roll dough out with wooden rolling pin to about 1-inch thickness. Drizzle a 12-inch round pizza pan with olive oil, and sprinkle with a trace amount of yellow cornmeal. Place flattened dough on prepared pizza pan. Cover with a dish towel and move to warm place to rise. Let dough rise 30-40 minutes, or until doubled. Poke top of dough with your finger to make dimples, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning (or other herbs). Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until bread is light golden brown on top. Immediately remove focaccia to wire rack to cool. If not serving bread within the hour, cover with a dry kitchen towel to keep bread fresh. To keep fresh overnight, put in plastic bag or wrap, once it has cooled to room temperature. (If you put in plastic when it’s not completely cooled, the condensation will make the bread soggy.)