Techniques and Recipes
Focaccia Bread
Wonderful on its own and equally delicious for sandwiches or paninis,
this bread may find its way into almost any meal.
INGREDIENTS
– 1½ cup warm water,
90-95°F
– 1 teaspoon instant yeast
– 3¾ cups bread flour
– 4 teaspoons kosher salt
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
FOR THE TOPPING
– ½ cup red onion,
thinly sliced
– 4 tablespoons olive oil,
divided
– 1 tablespoon rosemary,
finely chopped
– ½ teaspoon kosher salt
– ¼ teaspoon ground
black pepper
PREPARATION METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 85°F on Proof Mode with
a rack set on position “3.” 2. Combine the water
and yeast in a small mixing bowl and set aside
for 10 minutes until the yeast starts to bubble
and foam. 3. Pour the yeast mixture and olive oil
into the bowl of a stand mixer. 4. Add the flour
and salt. 5. Mix on speed 1 for 15 minutes, then
on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes to
develop a smooth, elastic dough. If the dough
looks dry and firm while mixing on 1st speed,
add a little more water. 6. Place dough in an oiled
bowl, cover with a damp towel and proof in the
oven for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in
volume. 7. While the dough is proofing, sweat the
onion in the 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tender
in a small skillet over medium heat. 8. Cool and
set aside to be used later. 9. Once the dough has
proofed, gently punch it down once or twice and
remove from the bowl. 10. Oil the bottom and
sides of a jelly roll pan with two tablespoons of
the olive oil. 11. Place the dough in the pan and
press it out into an even layer to the edges of
the pan. 12. Cover with a damp towel again and
proof for another 30 minutes. 13. Remove from
the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F on Bake
Mode with a rack set on position “3.” 14. Brush
the top of the dough carefully with the remaining
2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle the dough with
rosemary, kosher salt, pepper, and the cooked
onions. 15. Dimple the dough with your finger
tips. 16. Place on center rack in the oven and
bake for 35–45 minutes until golden brown and
internal temperature of 210°F. Cool before
slicing and serving.
MAKES RACK POSITION COOK TIME
1 LOAF 3 3545 MINUTES
BEFORE YOU START
Use different sized and shaped vessels to bake this bread. A 6–8 qt. oven
safe stainless Dutch oven (about 10
1
/
2
-inches in diameter) will produce a
thicker loaf, or use a large pan for the rustic shape of a free-form loaf.
BAKE
34
35