Sunday, October 9, 2011

Easy Herb Foccacia Bread

I know that many of you may be intimidated by the thought of making your own bread at home. Let me tell it to you straight - it's one of the easiest things EVER. This recipe is very foolproof and simple. It just takes time (you need to let the dough rise and ferment overnight, for 8-14 hours). But the actual amount of work on your part is extremely minimal.


I found the original recipe for this foccacia on one of my favorite blogs, Budget Bytes, and adapted it a little bit according to my own taste.  If you've never visited Budget Bytes, you should definitely make a point to check it out. Beth has posted hundreds of affordable and easy recipes, and I haven't tried one yet that hasn't been absolutely great! 

The ingredients you will need:
  • 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2.5 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 2.25 cups lukewarm water 
  • 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (you can buy three small connected packets for around $1 at the store in the baking aisle, each little packet contains about 2.25 tsp of yeast)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp fresh or dried herbs of your choice - I used herbes de province (which is a herb blend of rosemary, thyme, marjoram, lavendar, etc) and fresh rosemary from my herb garden. Italian seasoning blend would also work great (a blend of basil, oregano, sage, savory and rosemary). 

Note: You'll also need a small baking sheet, enough foil to cover the baking sheet, and non-stick cooking spray. It's best to start this recipe in the evening or at night, so you can finish and bake it the next morning or afternoon and let all the rising happen while you're snoozing!


Step 1: Mix together your two kinds of flour, salt, and yeast. 

I really like a ratio of 1.5 cups whole wheat flour to 2.5 cups white flour, but you can use all white flour if you prefer. I wouldn't recommend using all whole wheat - it will be much too dense and won't rise well.

You can also add some seasoning at this step (I added a sprinkle of dried garlic and onion with my dry ingredients, but that's completely optional and I forgot to picture them in the ingredients). 


Step 2: Add your water to the dry ingredients. Add the 2 cups first and mix to see where you're at. The dough should all come together into one ball without dry bits. 


 This is where I was at after adding the first 2 cups of water and mixing:


If there are still dry pieces, add the other 1/4 cup a little at a time (I ended up having to use it all, it kind of depends on how dry your flour is and what ratio white-whole wheat you use). Remember, it's better for your dough to be a little too moist than too dry. You want one cohesive, sticky ball of dough. It will look a little lumpy and weird. 




Step 4: Loosely cover the bowl with your dough (I just use a kitchen towel, but you could also use foil or saran wrap). This helps the dough retain the warmth it needs for the yeast to grow and make it rise. Let it do its thing for 8 - 14 hours. I let mine sit for 12 exactly (7pm to 7am the next morning).



Step 5:  8-14 hours later, check out your dough - it should have doubled in size, and if you listen to it, you can hear it bubbling! Funky, I know. Preheat your oven to 425. 




Step 6: Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with nonstick cooking spray. 




Step 7: Plop your dough ball onto the baking sheet, and use your fingers to stretch and pinch it to the edges. If you are using a large baking sheet instead of a small one, don't try to stretch it all the way to the corners (it will be way too thin). Just form it into a rectangle. It should look like this:


Step 8: Drizzle the olive oil over your foccacia and use your fingers to spread it around evenly. Allow it to rise 1 more hour on the baking sheet. 

Step 9: After the second rise, it will be puffy and probably extend past the top of the baking sheet if you look at it from the side. That's perfect! Add a generous sprinkle of whatever herbs you'd like at this time. I also added a sprinkle of some coarse kosher salt to add crunch and flavor. 

This is what it looks like after the second rise and adding the herbs: 

Notice how much more puffy it is than in the previous picture? Now it's time to add some texture to your dough to give it the classic foccacia look. 

Step 10: Using your fingers, gently press down into the risen dough to give it dimples. 

 
 This is what it should look like when you're done: 

 

Yummy...look at all those herbs and salt nestled in the dough! Now it's ready to bake! 


Step 11: Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is a nice golden brown. Your house will smell AMAZING when this is in the oven. 

This is what it looks like when it's all done: 


Wait until it's cooled most of the way before you try to peel it off the foil and slice it. Otherwise you might burn yourself or squash your bread. Look how good it looks.


 Slice it into rectangles and split them in half to use for sandwiches (to die for - hearty, crunchy, and so flavorful compared to plain old sandwich bread), or slice it thin into breadsticks and serve with soup or dip in marinara sauce! 


 I loved dunking them in my zuppa toscana ...mmmm. You can't ask for a much heartier meal than that!


Store your foccacia in a large ziplock bag in the pantry if you plan to eat it within 2 or 3 days. Homemade bread and baked goods don't contain all the weird preservatives that storebought do, so it won't last nearly as long as a loaf of bread you'd buy from the store without going moldy or drying out.

If you are like me and live alone or with one other person, I recommend freezing half your batch- it freezes great. Then you can pull out a slice of homemade bread whenever the mood strikes, microwave it for a few seconds, and you're good to go!

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make your own foccacia bread from scratch! Let me know if you give it a try. 

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

JEN