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Garlic Rosemary Herb Focaccia

Reggie Dwork <reggie@jeff-and-reggie.com>
Sun, 12 Feb 2023 19:46:12 -0800
v123.n003.17
* Exported from MasterCook *

                       Focaccia, Garlic Rosemary Herb

Recipe By     : Sally
Serving Size  : 24    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Bread                           Bread-Bakers Mailing List
                 Posted

   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   2               cups  water -- warm, (100-110F, 38-43C), (480ml)
   2          teaspoons  granulated sugar
   2          teaspoons  instant yeast -- or active dry yeast, Note 1:
      1/4           cup  extra virgin olive oil -- (60ml)
   1         Tablespoon  kosher salt
   4 1/2           cups  all-purpose flour -- (to 5C), or bread 
flour, plus more for hands, (565g-630g)
                         Topping & Pan
   5        Tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil -- or more as needed, 
divided, (75ml)
   2                     garlic cloves -- minced
   3        Tablespoons  fresh herbs -- chopped, Note 2:
                         sprinkle coarse salt & black pepper -- freshly ground

This simple 6 ingredient focaccia dough is a wonderful starting point 
for many different flavors, including garlic rosemary herb focaccia. 
The homemade bread is chewy and soft in the center with a mega crisp 
exterior. For the BEST flavor, let the dough rest in the refrigerator 
overnight. Olive oil seeps down and infuses every bite. You'll love it!

https://youtu.be/xZHqgxHlbfw

Note 1: slightly less than 1 standard packet

Note 2: such as basil, thyme, and rosemary, or 2 Tablespoons dried 
herbs, (to 4 Tbsp)

Make Ahead Recipe: As mentioned above, the longer the dough rests, 
the better it tastes. Focaccia is a convenient make-ahead recipe 
since you can do most of the work the day before serving. The bread 
tastes AWESOME warm from the oven, but it lasts all day if you want 
to bake it several hours prior to serving. Leftovers keep well for a 
few days or even a few months in the freezer, but some of the 
crispiness is lost over time. However, a few minutes in a preheated 
oven quickly brings leftover focaccia back to life!

Freezing dough: You can also freeze focaccia dough just as you would 
freeze pizza dough. After the dough rises in the mixing bowl, punch 
it down to release the air, coat it with a little olive oil, then 
cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Once 
thawed, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest for 
30 minutes on the counter. Finally, shape the dough on the baking 
sheet and continue with the recipe.

Focaccia Toppings: Garlic & rosemary herb focaccia is a classic 
favorite, but you can customize it with various toppings. There's 
truly no limit and here's a list to prove it. Leave out the garlic 
and herbs (or keep them!), drizzle the dough with the olive oil, then 
add any of these toppings:
Everything Bagel Seasoning
Cherry Tomatoes or Sliced Tomatoes
Parmesan (add before or after baking)
Pesto (add before or after baking)
Sliced Zucchini
Pine Nuts
Sliced Lemons or Lemon Zest
Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Olives
Mushrooms
Artichokes
Raw or Caramelized Onions
I topped a test batch with the garlic & herb olive oil called for in 
the recipe below, plus some pine nuts and thinly sliced tomatoes. We 
all DEVOURED it.

Prep: 16 hours
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 16:20
Yield: 2 dozen pieces

Prepare the dough: Whisk half of the water (1 cup; 240ml), 2 
teaspoons sugar, and 2 teaspoons yeast together in the bowl of your 
stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and 
allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining water, olive oil, salt, and 1 cup (130g) flour. 
Beat on low speed for 20 seconds, then add 3 and 1/2 cups (440g) more 
flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. If the dough is still 
sticking to the sides of the bowl, add the last 1/2 cup (60g) of 
flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With 
lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes. The dough 
can be a little too heavy for a mixer to knead it, but you can 
certainly use the mixer on low speed instead. If the dough is too 
sticky as you knead, add more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time. The dough 
should still feel a little soft, but shouldn't stick your hands. Poke 
it with your finger - if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready 
to rise. If not, keep kneading.

Let the dough rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with a teaspoon of 
oil or some nonstick spray- just use the same bowl you used for the 
dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in 
the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean 
kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 
hours or until double in size. (Tip: For the warm environment on a 
particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150F (66C). Turn the oven 
off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This 
will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 
minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising 
dough. When it's doubled in size, remove from the oven.)

Prepare the pan: Generously grease a 12x17" baking pan (with at least 
1 inch tall sides) with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. This is the base 
layer of the bread, so be generous with the oil. A pastry brush is 
helpful to spread it.

Flatten the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release 
any air bubbles. Place on the oiled baking pan, then stretch and 
flatten the dough to fit the pan. Don't tear the dough. If it's 
shrinking (mine always does), cover it with a clean towel and let it 
rest for 5 to 10 minutes before continuing. This lets the gluten 
settle and it's much easier to shape after that.

Let the dough rest: Cover the dough tightly and let it rest in the 
refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. The longer it 
rests, the better the flavor. I recommend at least 12 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room 
temperature as you preheat the oven and prepare the toppings. Keep it 
covered. It may rise a little during this time, but not much.

Preheat oven to 450F (232C). Allow it to heat for at least 10 to 15 
minutes so every inch of the oven is very hot.

Prepare the toppings: Whisk the 3 remaining Tablespoons of olive oil 
with the minced garlic and herbs. Set aside.

Using your fingers, dimple the dough all over the surface. You can 
watch me do this in the video above. Drizzle on the olive oil topping 
and use your hands or a pastry brush to spread it all over the top. 
Add a little more olive oil if needed so the dough is completely 
covered. (This creates the crisp crust!) Sprinkle with a little 
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or until lightly browned on top. If 
desired, broil on high for the last minute to really brown the top.

Cut and serve hot or let it come to room temperature before slicing 
and serving. Focaccia tastes wonderful warm or at room temperature. 
Cover leftover focaccia tightly and store at room temperature for 2 
days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. You can also freeze the baked 
and cooled focaccia for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or 
at room temperature. To reheat the slices, you can use the microwave 
or bake in a 300F (149C) oven for 5 minutes.

Notes

Freezing Instructions: After the dough rises, punch it down to 
release the air as instructed in step 5. Freeze the dough or portions 
of the dough to make at a later time. Lightly coat all sides of the 
dough ball(s) with olive oil. Place the dough ball(s) into individual 
zipped-top bag(s) and seal tightly, squeezing out all the air. Freeze 
for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen dough in the 
refrigerator overnight. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and 
allow to rest for 30 minutes on the counter, then continue with 
shaping the dough to fit the baking pan as instructed in step 5. 
(Even after thawing, the dough must still rest in the refrigerator as 
instructed in step 6.)

Make Ahead Instructions: The is a wonderful recipe to begin the day 
ahead of time. The dough must rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 
hour and up to 24 hours, as instructed in step 6. I've let it go for 
as long as 30 hours and the flavor is incredible. I wouldn't go past 
24 to 30 hours.

Smaller Portions: This recipe yields a big pan of bread. You can 
divide the dough in half and bake smaller portions on 2 baking sheets 
or 9x13 inch baking pans. If desired, you can divide the dough in 
half and freeze half of it. Or you can halve the entire recipe.

Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast instead. The rise time 
in step 3 may be a little quicker if using instant yeast. No matter 
which yeast you choose, you only need 2 teaspoons which is a little 
less than 1 standard 7g packet. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide 
for answers to common yeast FAQs.

Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. All-purpose 
flour is convenient for most, but bread flour produces a chewier 
bread. No matter which you choose, the focaccia is still soft and 
rich with a crispy exterior. Either flour is fine and there are no 
other changes to the recipe if you use one or the other. You may need 
slightly closer to 5 cups of flour if using all-purpose.

Review: My first try and it was excellent! Easy to follow 
instructions, especially the measurements (tablespoons and cups vs 
grams and oz). I've been asked not to change a single thing and do it 
the exact way next time I make the bread. It was so perfect! Thank you, Sally!

Review: Typing this with floury hands as I make my second-ever batch! 
This focaccia came out beautifully the first time and was promptly devoured.

Both times however, I have had to add a ton of flour to this recipe 
(+2-3 cups) to get the dough to a sufficiently dry, workable state. 
Anyone else have this issue? I'm using bread flour.

Review: I also had to add at least 1 1/2 cups of flour. The first 
time I made the recipe I thought I had done something wrong, but it 
came out delicious. Takes about 5 or more cups of flour.

Review: I have avoided baking with yeast my entire life. If I had 
known I could've made amazing homemade focaccia this easily (focaccia 
is my favorite bread) I would have started baking with yeast a lot 
sooner! This recipe is delicious. I plan to make this again at 
Christmas with a Tuscan turkey roulade.

Review: FANTASTIC RECIPE! I didnt change anything the first time i 
made it: the bread can out fantastic!! Since then i have made it many 
times, the only thing I changed was adding more herbs! Thank you for 
the wonderful recipe! Everyone who has tried it really loves it! Your 
recipes are treasures!

Review: I made this for the first time today and I loved it. I didn't 
have a stand mixer but I was able to stir the dough with a sturdy 
spatula by hand. I used a slightly smaller baking than specified and 
the focaccia came out extra thick and fluffy and still delicious. 
Since it was extra thick I was able to slice it and use it as 
sandwich bread. Now I'm all set for lunch for the rest of the week. 
Thank you so much!

Review: This was a sticker dough (I went with my gut on the lower 
amount of AP flour and machine kneaded for 7 minutes), and it yielded 
a light and delicious focaccia. I would recommend this recipe; it was 
easy, relatively quick, and the idea to rest the dough in the fridge 
(I was only able to do 4 hours) certainly helped deepen the flavor. 
I'll be making this again.

Review: Fool-proof!! I've kneaded this by hand and now with a mixer 
and it turned out great either way, but if I do it by hand I end up 
adding about 1/4 1/2 cup more flour. I add some sliced tomatoes but 
that's the only thing I do differently. If you follow this recipe to 
a T you will NOT be disappointed! Easy to follow and absolutely delicious.

Review: This was fantastic made exactly as the recipe is written. We 
cut the recipe in 1/2 and it still made a huge amount in a large 
baking dish. We did garlic/mixed fresh herbs over the entire focaccia 
and covered 1/2 with halved cherry tomatoes and sliced green olives. 
We were heavy handed with the olive oil and it made such a 
difference. The dough came together so easy, we kneaded it our 
KitchenAid (it was a 1/2 batch so not so much dough to overwhelm the 
machine). We only let it rise for a total of 5 hours (2 on first 
rise, 3 on 2nd rise in fridge) and the flavour was great. Will try 
again overnight but was too excited to bake it and have it ready for 
dinner. 1st attempt at focaccia and I couldn't be happier!!! Can't 
wait to experiment further. Thanks for a wonderful and easy recipe! I 
wish I would have tried it sooner.

Review: I made this twice. The first time, I kept the bread for 
4hours. The second time, I kept it overnight. And just like the 
recipe says, keeping the dough overnight made it phenomenal!!! It was 
so chewy, dense and there was so much depth to the taste.. Sally's 
cook book is my baking bible .. i don't even bother checking out other recipes

Source:
   "Adapted from Bon Appetit & Pizza Crust"
S(Internet address):
   https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/garlic-rosemary-herb-focaccia/
                                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 133 Calories; 5g Fat (36.4% 
calories from fat); 2g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 
0mg Cholesterol; 236mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 
Vegetable; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : 2021 - 0116