Focaccia Bread

This recipe was actually one of the first that I posted. However, when I first started I was a bit… awkward. I just was not comfortable talking to the world and my pictures were taken by my cellphone and entirely unedited. I know that I’ve still got a long ways to go in the blogosphere, but I like to think I’ve improved a bit since then.

What do you guys think about redoing early, lackluster posts? I’m going to leave it in my archive for historical references, but I just adore this recipe so much and think it needs some special attention.

Anyways, this recipe is an absolute staple in my house.  I’m reposting it because I cannot emphasize enough how freaking awesome it is. And easy! It’s the simplest bread I’ve ever made and I get consistently incredible results. The entire process only takes about an hour, which, at least in the bread-baking world, is no time at all.

Start by combining sugar, yeast, and water in the mixing bowl you plan to use. KitchenAid not necessary, however very helpful.

The yeast mixture should go from looking like this:

To this:

Nice and foamy. Add olive oil, vegetable oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Your kitchen will start smelling amazing from that Italian seasoning. I put that stuff on everything. Now gradually add the flour until the dough is no longer sticky.

Lightly oil a large bowl, throw a towel or saran wrap on it, and put it outside where it’s 90 degrees (yuck!) and let it rise until doubled.

It’ll look something like this:

Punch it down. I love punching dough down. I’m not sure why. Lightly oil a cookie sheet.

Shape the dough into loaf form on the cookie sheet. You can do it like traditional focaccia bread which is more circular, an average loaf, a four leaf clover- whatever you want. Just shape it and make it about an inch and a half thick.

Now is where you get to use some creativity. I usually just top it with kosher salt, but historically I have done various cheeses. Top it with whatever you want! Then throw it in the oven at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Yes, 15 minutes. Did you also notice it didn’t need to rise a second time? This stuff rocks.

That’s it! Now, if you’re like me, you’ll slice it up as quickly as possible…

And throw a few pieces on a plate with a nice big steak and a salad.

I wish I could eat like that everyday. I swear, I could live off of red meat, bread, and potatoes. I am my father’s daughter.

You can also view this recipe as a step-by-step web story here.