- Foccacia Bread

FOCCACIA BREAD


1 c warm water
2 tsp yeast
3 c flour
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
4 T olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 T chopped thyme
24 pitted black olives or 1 cup chopped onions (see note)


Pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and sprinkle in the yeast. Add 1 cup of flour and the sugar and then stir to combine. Let rest for 10 minutes or so, until the yeast activates and bubbles appear on the surface.

Add the rest of the flour, salt, olive oil, pepper, thyme, olives (or onion) and mix well until sough begins to form a ball. Continue kneading for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a large, oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and rest in a warm place until the dough doubles, about 1 hour.

Lightly oil your hands then knock down the dough, pressing the air out of it. Knead a few times and then place the dough onto an oiled baking sheet. Pull and press dough across pan until it forms a large, flattened circle and vigorously poke dimples into it with your fingertips. Drizzle with olive oil, coarse salt and pepper and let rise a second time until it doubles again, about 30 minutes.

While you wait, preheat your oven to 450º. Place in oven and bake until it has formed a golden crust but is still soft in the centre, about 25 minutes.

Notes:

1. I am not an olive fan so I put the chopped onion in a sauté pan with the thyme and about 1 T of butter. Once the onion was just starting to turn brown I removed the pan from the heat and allowed the onion to cool. I added the cooled onion instead of the olives.
2. This is super easy and delicious – if you haven’t made foccacia before – try this recipe. Do not be afraid of yeast.