Focaccia Bread
Flat Italian bread. The dough is similar to pizza dough but has the addition of a generous amount of olive oil. It is crispy on the outside while remaining soft inside. It is versatile enough to be served as a side dish or used as a sandwich bread.
Ingredients
Bread
- 1 3/4 Cups Warm water 95-100 Farhenheit
- 2 1/4 Teaspoons Active dry yeast
- 3 Teaspoons Raw honey
- 4 Cups Bread flour
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1/2 Cup Olive oil extra for greasing the tin
Topping
- 3 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Coarse sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh rosemary
Instructions
Bread
- In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup water, yeast and one teaspoon of honey. Stir and let it stand until it is foamy. This takes around 5 minutes.
- In the bowl of your mixer, with a dough hook, combine bread flour and salt. With the mixer on low slowly pour in the yeast mixture. When combined, add the rest of the honey, remaining water (1 1/2cup) and half a cup of the olive oil. Mix it on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.
- Grease a bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the greased bowl. Cover and let it rest in a warm, draft free area until it is doubled in size. This takes around an hour.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a rimmed sheet pan that is about 17x13 inches.
- After the first rise, punch the dough down to release the air. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and shape the dough into a rectangle. The dough should be a 1/2 inch thick.
- Cover the dough with cling wrap and place it in a warm draft free area on your counter until it is doubled in size. This takes about 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Farhenheit.
- After the second rise, use your fingers to poke and create deep dents in the dough. Then drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and top with fresh rosemary and sea salt. You can bake it now or add extra toppings.
Topping
- Cook your bacon to a crisp and let them rest on a paper towel.
- Thinly slice your potatoes and grate your cheese. Add your extra toppings to the bread.
Baking.
- Bake the focaccia until it is slightly golden and cooked through. This takes around 20 minutes.
- Let it cool on the cooling rack.