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Karen Gordon: The go-to focaccia recipe for novice bread bakers - Vancouver Sun

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A delicious favourite as it picks up the flavours of whatever ingredients you add to it

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Focaccia is an Italian yeast bread with a low profile, similar to a pan bread, but with a distinctive, dimpled appearance. It is crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside with a chewy texture.

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It is one of the most delicious breads because it picks up the flavours of whatever ingredients you add to it. It can be served on its own, added to a bread basket, used in a sandwich or as an accompaniment to a salad or a steaming bowl of soup. My favourite way of serving focaccia bread is in the form of a light dinner. All that’s needed is a side dish of fruity extra-virgin olive oil, thinly sliced prosciutto, burrata cheese, a simple arugula salad — and a bottle of red wine, of course!

Focaccia bread is one of my favourite breads to bake at home. Not only is it easy to make, but it’s also relatively forgiving as well, compared to some other artisanal breads. In its most basic form, focaccia bread only requires five ingredients: Water, sugar, yeast, flour and olive oil.

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It requires no special shaping or scoring technique; your fingertips are all that’s needed to create its pretty pillow-top form. And instead of having to deal with a hot Dutch oven, it’s baked in a rimmed pan. These reasons alone make focaccia bread one of the best breads to try baking at home for the novice bread baker.

Focaccia bread is flavourful and delicious. One of the reasons I love focaccia is the endless list of toppings you can add to it, creating a different flavour every time you make it. A simple focaccia bread is normally topped with, at the very least, a sprinkling of flaked sea salt. However, if you’re looking to level up your focaccia game, there are an endless list of ingredients that you can add to the top of your dough before baking. They include fruits and vegetables like black and green olives, sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions, sweet peppers, asparagus and artichokes, plus meats and cheeses like bacon and salami, mozzarella, parmesan and even blue cheese.

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When it comes to preparing your focaccia dough, a stand mixer is highly recommended. It is important to note that the dough is on the soft and sticky side, making it difficult to knead by hand. Unlike most bread dough that somewhat hold their shape after the kneading process, the focaccia dough remains soft and somewhat shapeless. It’s meant to look like this, so do not add any additional flour to prop it up.

This is my basic, go-to focaccia bread recipe. I’ve had it for so long I can’t remember where I first found it and have adapted it through the years. But this is what I use whenever I’m craving focaccia bread. This recipe creates a crisp, golden crusted bread that’s deliciously chewy. It’s big on olive-oil flavour, punctuated with the aroma of garlic and rosemary, and has the perfect amount of saltiness to it. On special occasions or if I’m giving a loaf away as a gift, I’ll make it with brine-cured olives, such as Kalamata or Greek olives, and rosemary; and for those who aren’t olive fans, I’ll whip up a loaf with Parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomatoes instead.

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Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia Bread

1 1/4 cup (300 mL) warm water, approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit

2 tsp (10 g) granulated sugar

2-1/4 tsp yeast (7 g or 1 packet) instant yeast

3-1/2 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp (7.5 mL) fine sea salt

1 tsp (5 mL) fresh ground black pepper

Topping

3-4 tbsp (45-60 mL) extra virgin olive oil 1 tbs fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tsp (5 mL) flake sea salt

For Olive and Rosemary Focaccia Bread, add:

20-24 black or green olives, such as Kalamata or Greek olives, pitted and halved

For Parmesan Sun-dried Tomato Focaccia Bread, add:

1/4 cup (60 mL) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, julienned

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) dried Italian seasoning

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1/4 tsp (1 mL) red pepper flakes

8-10 large pieces of freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil leaves for garnish

In a stand mixer outfitted with a dough hook, add the warm water, sugar and yeast. Allow yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes.

Then add the flour, olive oil, garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Mix on low speed until the flour is almost incorporated.

Increase speed to medium low and knead the dough for about 5-6 minutes until the dough forms a loose ball but remains soft and sticky.

Oil a large mixing bowl with a little olive oil. Scrape and transfer the dough into the oiled bowl. Pull the dough under, forming a smooth surface. Turn the dough to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl in a warm spot to rise for 60 to 75 minutes or until doubled in size.

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Oil a 9×13” rimmed baking pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Punch the dough down. Then transfer the dough into the oiled sheet pan. Using your fingers, press out the dough to fit the pan.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place the pan in a warm spot to rest for about 10 minutes.

Remove the plastic wrap, drizzle the remainder of the olive oil over the dough. Using your fingertips, create deep indents in the dough by pushing down into the dough so that the tips of your fingers meet the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle chopped rosemary and flaked sea salt over the dough.

Allow the dough to rise uncovered, in a warm spot, for another 20 to 30 minutes until nice and puffy.

Meanwhile, move the oven rack into the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Transfer the sheet pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

Remove from the oven. Allow the bread to cool slightly before transferring it out of the pan and onto a cutting board to slice. Serve warm or at room temperature.

For the Olive and Rosemary Focaccia Bread, when drizzling the olive oil over the dough, sprinkle the olives at the same time. Using your fingers, create deep indents and push some of the olives into the dough. Top with chopped rosemary and sea salt. Allow the dough to rise as usual.

For the Parmesan Sun-dried Tomato Focaccia Bread, omit the rosemary. Instead, sprinkle julienned sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes over the dough. Half the amount of flake sea salt as the Parmesan will add saltiness to the bread. Place pieces of freshly shaved Parmesan cheese on the dough, then allow the dough to rise as usual. Once baked, top focaccia bread with freshly torn basil leaves.

Makes 1 loaf.

Karen Gordon is a food blogger from North Vancouver who shares her recipe creations online at karentology.com and on Instagram at @karen.t.ology

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