One Italian staple which is an easy recipe, fun to make on your own or with kids, and oh so delicious is focaccia. Right out of college I exchanged eating cafeteria food and take-out to living in one of the most delicious countries on the planet. If it weren’t for all the amazing food I ate while I lived there, I sometimes wonder if anything else would have sparked my interest in cooking. I think Italian cuisine suited me because there were a lot of accessible recipes for an inexperienced girl who didn’t know much about cooking. Everywhere I went I was interested in the different ingredients and flavors and how I could recreate them at home. The only catch to this recipe is that you need olive oil that has a flavor you love. That is what gives the focaccia the flavor and moisture. You can do any number of variations depending on what seasonings or toppings you add. It will blow peoples’ socks off as an appetizer to pair with a charcuterie board or on its own.
Ingredients:
2 cups of organic flour
2 cups of warm water (add slowly)
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
2 tbsp EVO
2 tsp yeast
Fresh rosemary (optional)
Instructions (Watch the Video) :
1. Set out a large mixing bowl as well as your measuring cups and teaspoons.
2. Mix together your flour, yeast and sugar. Toss it together a bit with a spoon to activate the yeast.
3. Add about a half cup warm water at a time and mix with your hands. (You want the dough to be soft and wet, but not soupy. As you approach 2 cups of water, keep an eye on it. Your mixture may be fine with a little less than two cups.)
4. Add olive oil and salt.
5. Continue to mix together with your hands for several minutes until you have a very wet but cohesive dough.
6. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel for 2 hours. (After two hours, the dough will have risen. The consistency should still be very soft and fluffy with a wet sheen to it.)
7. Preheat the oven to 390 degrees F, and line a cookie sheet with wax paper.
8. Cover the wax paper well with 2 or 3 spoonfuls of olive oil and spread it out. (The focaccia needs to absorb as much of this as possible while it’s baking to stay moist.)
9. Extend the dough into a rectangle, covering approximately 2/3 of the prepared cookie sheet.
10. Cover dough with a generous drizzle of olive oil so the top is shiny. Spread the olive oil evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle large sea salt and rosemary (or any topping of your choice) on top.
11. Let the dough rest to rise for another 30 minutes on the cookie sheet before placing in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes.
12. Let cool and cut into small squares or rectangles for serving.
The versatility of focaccia is great because it pairs well with a cappuccino for breakfast or an Aperol Spritz at happy hour. Buon Appetito!
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