Fresh and yummy Focaccia bread recipe

Have you ever made Focaccia (foe-CAH-cha)? If no, have you ever eaten it and wished that you could make it? Here is an easy recipe! 
Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread. It is simply baked dough topped with olive oil and a simple herb like rosemary or sage, salted with coarse salt. It is very popular as a snack in Italy and school children will often purchase a slice from a baker on the way to school, to enjoy at break time.

My family loves this bread. We love to dip it in a small mixture of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, cracked pepper and sometimes parmesan cheese. It is great to eat with a pasta dish too! 

First step is to make the Dough
 

2 c. lukewarm water (85-95 F)

1 pkg Active Dry Yeast or 2 tsp.

4 c. Bread flour

2 tsp. Salt

Measure water into a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water and stir until dissolved. Stir in flour and salt. Stir with wooden spoon for 2-4 min. until dough just pulls away from the bowl and the flour is incorporated. You can do this entire step in your Kitchen Aid as well.
The dough will be fairly wet and tacky (sticky) but is done if it pulls away from sides of the bowl into a loose ball. If it seems too sticky stir in an additional 1/4-1/2 c. flour. I did have to do that. Once the dough is mixed, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume. For this dough that would be about 30-40 min.

Once you make the dough you can wrap it and just put it in the fridge until the next day. It will rise in the refrigerator and acquire a different flavor with a slower rising yeast. Remove the dough, keep covered and let rise 2 hours before time to bake.

BAKING

3-5 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, red onion sliced very thin, kosher or sea salt

Pre Heat oven 500 F and lightly oil (with olive oil) two nonstick 13X18 baking sheets (or whatever you have on hand). Pour dough out on the sheets evenly. You can leave bread to bake as you have put it on the baking sheet or spread it out to about 1-inch thick which is what I did.

Next step is to brush with olive oil and use your fingers to make indentations all over the dough. This is to relieve bubbling on the surface of the bread during baking. You then brush on more olive oil. This is what gives the bread a yummy Italian flavor and keeps it moist. You at sprinkle on rosemary, sage, red onions, onion powder or garlic powder at this time. I then drizzle on more olive oil.After shaping and putting on toppings lower oven to 450 F and put the breads in the oven. Bake 15-20 min until it has a light golden color mixed with a little darker brown around the edges and on top. Cool on a wire rack. 

Cut or break into rectangles and triangles. Yummy!This bread can also be used as sandwich bread or buns. Form into the shape or thickness you want before cooking. It can also be used as a pizza crust. Have fun with it! So easy and yummy. When I have leftover after 2 days I turn the leftovers into bread crumbs!

Click over and check out my Spinach Artichoke Focaccia! It is DELISH!