Focaccia bread is a great beginnerās bread for those of us who may be intimidated by yeast breads. It comes together easily with the help of a stand mixer and requires very little hand manipulation except for poking. No kneading. It also happens to be one of my favorite breads. You can make great sandwiches with this rosemary focaccia or use it for dipping oil and vinegar.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 (0.25 ounce) package active-dry yeast
- 3 Ā½ cups all purpose flour
- Ā¼ cup Olive This! Rosemary Olive Oil, plus another 1/4+ cup for drizzling
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or artisanal flaked sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 springs fresh rosemary
Directions:
Add warm water that is about 110 degrees F and honey to the bowl of a stand mixer. You are welcome to use an instant read thermometer to ensure you have the right temperature plus or minus 5 degrees to help boost your confidence. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and give it a quick stir with a forkĀ to dissolve. Then let it sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
Add the dough attachment to your stand mixer. Turn it on low speed and gradually add flour, olive oil and salt. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing the dough for 5 minutes. If the dough is not pulling away from the sides of the bowl and is too sticky, add in an extra Ā¼ cup of flour while it is mixing and until the dry flour has been incorporated.
Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and use your hands to shape it into a ball. Grease a large bowl with about 3 tablespoons of rosemary olive oil and place the dough ball into the bowl. Cover it with a damp towel and place it in a warm location. Let it rise for 45-60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. If using a glass bowl, itās helpful to mark the position of the dough at the beginning so you can accurately assess the rise.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. With oiled hands, turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out into a large circle or rectangle until the dough is Ā¼-1/2 inch thick. Cover the dough with a greased piece of plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for another 20 minutes.
Remove the plastic wrap and transfer the dough to a large baking sheet. Oil hands again and press fingertips firmly into the dough, pushing all the way down to the bottom of the pan to dimple all over. Drizzle a couple tablespoons of rosemary olive oil over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle generously with salt and fresh rosemary needles.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the dough is slightly golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and drizzle with additional rosemary olive oil, if desired (this is how I like it).
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