Focaccia Bread

With focaccia bread you can be creative with the addition and combination of toppings, or simply top this Italian flatbread with Parmesan cheese. Try toppings such as reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes or fresh sliced Romas, chopped marinated artichoke hearts, sliced mushrooms, a sprinkling of coarse sea salt, coarsely ground black pepper, minced garlic, chopped onion and assorted fresh herbs.

Visitor Comments: "This bread is exactly what Focaccia Bread should be. A simple recipe that creates a nice crusty loaf of bread with a chewy center. I would recommend this to any one." - Linda Topa

Recipe Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water (110°F to 115°F | 45°C)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 (0.25-ounce ) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3 1/4 cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs such as basil, flat-leaf parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage, etc. (optional)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over mixture and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups of flour, salt and the yeast mixture. Stir to mix well. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, slowly adding what is needed of the remaining 1/4 cup flour until dough is no longer sticky.
3. Place dough into a well-greased bowl, turn once to coat; cover and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
5. Punch the dough down, and place it onto a lightly oiled large pizza pan or baking sheet. Spread the dough out, using your fingertips, make "dimples" in the dough. Drizzle the dough with olive oil, sprinkle on you choice of chopped herbs, if using and the Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 1 focaccia loaf or 12 servings.

Tip: The dough can also be made in a bread machine by adding the ingredients in the order suggested by the manufacturer (usually wet first, dry last) and selecting the dough setting. The finished dough will be sticky to work with, however, coating the palms of you hands with a little vegetable oil will make easy work of forming the dough.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/12 of recipe): 158.7 calories; 13% calories from fat; 2.4g total fat; 1.8mg cholesterol; 346.9mg sodium; 52.4mg potassium; 28.3g carbohydrates; 1.0g fiber; 1.2g sugar; 27.3g net carbs; 5.5g protein.

Recipe and photograph by Hope Cantil; copyright © 1999; property of CooksRecipes.com. See Terms of Use.