Hey friends,
Today I proudly present you one of the most beloved breads of the entire world, a closely guarded secret of the Italian kitchen, a litmus test for all amateur cooks like me, the deceptively simple bread layered with flavours that are subtle yet breathtaking in its simplicity...
Focaccia!
I am yet to get over the fact that I got it right the first time and it came out oh-so-moist and super soft and way better than the store-bought variety.
Now, focaccia dough is almost similar to a pizza dough. It is also a very flexible bread as you can top it with almost anything you like. I like the combination of black olives and sun-dried tomato in my focaccia. I didn't have the latter one and so I just used fresh tomato instead. I used a non-hybrid, desi (indigenous) tomato which is tastier and more sour than the regular ones (that is my preference but if you want, you can use a sweeter variation). Also, I used basil in stead of rosemary because it goes well with tomato (I am not a great fan of rosemary), though if you want to go traditional, please use rosemary.
Now let us discuss the recipe:
[I know there are too many pictures. It was such a thing of beauty that I just couldn't help myself :) ]
Ingredients:
200 grams plain white flour
1 teaspoon of fine-grained semolina flour
3 grams of dry active yeast
1/2 a teaspoon of sugar
1/2 a cup of extra virgin olive oil
70 ml warm water (110 to 120 degree Celsius or micro it for 30 seconds)
Italian seasoning (optional)
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
1/2 a teaspoon of dried basil
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt (I used table salt and it tasted perfectly OK so don't freak out if you don't find it in the super-market)
8 to 10 pitted black olives (cut into half, lengthwise)
1/2 a tomato (de-seeded and diced into cubes to match the size of the olives)
Preparation:
Start with mixing the yeast with warm water, sugar and a little bit of flour in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside at a warm place for ten minutes or until bubbles form. Pour in a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, dried Italian herbs (about half a teaspoon or to taste, but again it is completely optional), flour, semolina flour and combine with a spatula. It should be sticky, if not, add a little bit of water. Tip the dough on to a floured surface and knead with your hand. Add another teaspoon of olive oil at this stage and knead for a couple of minutes again. If it is too sticky, dip your hand in the flour bag and knead again. Once the oil is incorporated entirely into the dough place it in a well-oiled (use olive oil of course) bowl and cover with another teaspoon of olive oil and let it rest for at least one hour at a warm place. It should be double in size after that.
Grease a baking tray with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and tip the soft dough on the tray. It should be very soft and elastic. Press it gently to shape into a roughly rectangular size and poke with your fingertips to make deep dents on the entire surface. Brush olive oil on top and let it rest for another forty five minutes.
After that, place the pieces of tomato and olive on top and press down with your fingers. Brush generously with olive oil again (it is absolutely essential to bring out the flavours of the tomatoes and olives). Sprinkle with herbs and a little bit of salt (traditionally it should be rosemary and kosher salt, but I used dried basil and table salt).
Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius and bake for fifteen minutes. Take it out and brush with olive oil again (patience, people, this is focaccia!).
Put it back in the oven and bake for another five minutes at 180 degree Celsius.
Take out the bread and place on a wire rack and let it cool for at least ten minutes.
Cut it into rectangles and server warm.
Enjoy :)
PS: If you like my blog, please recommend it on Google by clicking the link below.
Today I proudly present you one of the most beloved breads of the entire world, a closely guarded secret of the Italian kitchen, a litmus test for all amateur cooks like me, the deceptively simple bread layered with flavours that are subtle yet breathtaking in its simplicity...
Focaccia!
I am yet to get over the fact that I got it right the first time and it came out oh-so-moist and super soft and way better than the store-bought variety.
Now, focaccia dough is almost similar to a pizza dough. It is also a very flexible bread as you can top it with almost anything you like. I like the combination of black olives and sun-dried tomato in my focaccia. I didn't have the latter one and so I just used fresh tomato instead. I used a non-hybrid, desi (indigenous) tomato which is tastier and more sour than the regular ones (that is my preference but if you want, you can use a sweeter variation). Also, I used basil in stead of rosemary because it goes well with tomato (I am not a great fan of rosemary), though if you want to go traditional, please use rosemary.
Now let us discuss the recipe:
[I know there are too many pictures. It was such a thing of beauty that I just couldn't help myself :) ]
Ingredients:
200 grams plain white flour
1 teaspoon of fine-grained semolina flour
3 grams of dry active yeast
1/2 a teaspoon of sugar
1/2 a cup of extra virgin olive oil
70 ml warm water (110 to 120 degree Celsius or micro it for 30 seconds)
Italian seasoning (optional)
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
1/2 a teaspoon of dried basil
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt (I used table salt and it tasted perfectly OK so don't freak out if you don't find it in the super-market)
8 to 10 pitted black olives (cut into half, lengthwise)
1/2 a tomato (de-seeded and diced into cubes to match the size of the olives)
Preparation:
Start with mixing the yeast with warm water, sugar and a little bit of flour in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside at a warm place for ten minutes or until bubbles form. Pour in a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, dried Italian herbs (about half a teaspoon or to taste, but again it is completely optional), flour, semolina flour and combine with a spatula. It should be sticky, if not, add a little bit of water. Tip the dough on to a floured surface and knead with your hand. Add another teaspoon of olive oil at this stage and knead for a couple of minutes again. If it is too sticky, dip your hand in the flour bag and knead again. Once the oil is incorporated entirely into the dough place it in a well-oiled (use olive oil of course) bowl and cover with another teaspoon of olive oil and let it rest for at least one hour at a warm place. It should be double in size after that.
Grease a baking tray with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and tip the soft dough on the tray. It should be very soft and elastic. Press it gently to shape into a roughly rectangular size and poke with your fingertips to make deep dents on the entire surface. Brush olive oil on top and let it rest for another forty five minutes.
After that, place the pieces of tomato and olive on top and press down with your fingers. Brush generously with olive oil again (it is absolutely essential to bring out the flavours of the tomatoes and olives). Sprinkle with herbs and a little bit of salt (traditionally it should be rosemary and kosher salt, but I used dried basil and table salt).
Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius and bake for fifteen minutes. Take it out and brush with olive oil again (patience, people, this is focaccia!).
Put it back in the oven and bake for another five minutes at 180 degree Celsius.
Take out the bread and place on a wire rack and let it cool for at least ten minutes.
Cut it into rectangles and server warm.
Enjoy :)
PS: If you like my blog, please recommend it on Google by clicking the link below.
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