As a Palestinian-Colombian, serving breads with meals is a must. It goes well many soups and stews and is a flavorful way to break up textures in dishes. One of my favorite breads is rosemary-flavored bread. Rosemary is such a soft yet fragrant addition to the fluffy simplistic flavors of bread and they compliment each other very well. These flavors inspired me to create a rosemary focaccia bread, a popular Italian bread that is served with many different meals. You can use the base of this dough and add whatever toppings you like! You can add olives, cheese, or garlic. It's a very versatile dough that can be made sweet or savory and it's perfect with a cup of tea in the mornings!
To bring out some stronger Italian flavors, I combined oregano with the rosemary for a more fragrant and flavorful dough.
Olive oil is the star of the show in this recipe. Don't be afraid to really coat your dough with it for a nice and crispy exterior!
Whenever I go grocery shopping, usually on the list is some kind of seasoned Italian bread that can go alongside our dinners or as a light breakfast. After seeing how often I bring it into our home, I decided to tackle this recipe to see how easy it is for me to make it myself instead of buying it every week. This bread took practically no time at all to prep or bake.
Most of the time spent is waiting for the dough to rise so that you can bake it to perfection. However, this is probably one of the easiest breads I have ever made. I tried this recipe a few times so that I can perfect just the right amount ingredients to make a perfectly baked and fluffy focaccia.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Serves: 6 People
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Rise Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, and 55 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 1/3 cups Warm Water
2 tsp. Sugar
3/4 Packet of Fast-Acting Instant Yeast
3 1/2 cups Flour
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 tsp. Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary Leaves
1/2 Tbsp. Oregano
Olive Oil, for drizzle before bake
Rosemary Leaves and Sea Salt, to sprinkle on before bake
INSTRUCTIONS:
**Note: I did all of this by hand, using a rubber spatula to mix the ingredients before the dough formed. You can use your stand mixer and paddle attachment, however, I felt like I had more control using my hands.
In a large bowl, mix together the warm water and sugar. Add in the yeast and mix it in with the sugar and water. Because we are using fast-acting yeast, we don't need to let the yeast activate.
Slowly add in the flour one cup at a time and mix the contents with the rubber spatula. The dough should be crumbly.
Pour in the olive oil and the sea salt, and continue to stir the contents until a dough-like consistency is formed. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it for about 2 minutes to work in the yeast.
Drizzle the bowl with olive oil so the dough doesn't stick to it while rising. Form the dough back into a ball and place it back into the well-oiled bowl.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rise for an hour. I sat my bowl by the window for a warmer proofing area.
After about an hour, the dough should have at least doubled in size. Place the dough on a floured surface and begin kneading. Sprinkle in the rosemary and oregano every few kneads until the dough is evenly seasoned.
Roll out the dough into a 1/2-inch thick circle. With your finger, poke holes all over the dough. Make sure that the holes you poke go all the way through the dough. This helps remove any moisture during the bake.
Cover the dough with a greased sheet of plastic wrap and allow it to rise for another 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the plastic wrap and drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the dough. Use your hand or a brush to make sure the entire surface and poked holes are covered in olive oil. Sprinkle on your rosemary leaves and sea salt.
Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is a light golden brown and has a slightly crispy surface on the outside.
Slice and serve warm with dinner or a cup of tea!
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