Rosemary Focaccia Bread

I had a completely different post all ready for today, and then I made this focaccia bread last night. And I just had to share it! Had to. Sorry Citrus Spinach Smoothie…you just have to wait your turn. Today is focaccia bread’s time to shine.

I’ve mentioned my fear of bread making before. I just haven’t experimented with it very much at all and you have to plan it out in advance to give it time to rise and all that! (and planning meals ahead isn’t always my strong suit). Or maybe I’ve just been making excuses. Because this focaccia bread was not only easy, but SO.AMAZINGLY.GOOD.

The outer layer is perfectly crispy while the inside is still soft and moist. You don’t even need butter on it! My dad always made it in one large loaf on a pizza stone but I opted for the two smaller loaves. More crispy edges that way. Also please ignore the mismatched shapes…I only had one clean round pan! Think of it as geometric food art.

I made a comment at dinner that the recipe could easily be halved to make just one loaf, but the BF shot me a death glare which tells me that is not going to be happening in our house. He makes a good point…the more carbs the better!

After this focaccia bread turned out so well I’m excited to try out some more bread recipes! Anyone have any favorites? This recipe is definitely going into my usual dinner rotation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

~Stephanie

Rosemary Focaccia Bread (adapted from Rob Lewis and Bite Me Blog)

• 1 3/4 c warm water
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp dry yeast
• 4 c flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c olive oil + 2 tbsp for topping
• chopped rosemary
• coarse salt

1. Dissolve honey and sugar into warm water. Add dry yeast and let sit until dissolved (~10 min).
2. Add in flour, salt and olive oil.
3. Using hook attachment, mix dough on low until dough pulls away from sides. Turn up to medium and mix about 5 minutes until dough is smooth.
4. Form dough into ball and put in oiled mixing bowl. Cover with damp dish towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (1 1/2 hours).
5. Punch dough down and divide into two oiled 9 inch cake pans. Press dough into bottom of pans, cover again, and let rise another 20 minutes.
6. Spread 1 tbsp of olive oil on each loaf using pastry brush. Sprinkle with rosemary and salt.
7. Press fingertips into dough, forming indentations.
8. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes until dough turns golden brown.
9. Remove from pans and let cool on wire rack before cutting.