Focaccia with Herbs

Enjoy the fragrance and flavour of cooking with fresh herbs. This month, All The Best Bakery features a variety of new herb toppings on our focaccia. Focaccia makes a great snack on its own, can be served with salads, soups and eggs, or split in half for sandwiches. You can prepare dozens of variations, using different combinations of herbs and toppings. Try onion & sage, rosemary, feta and black olive, or chive & ricotta.

Ingredients

FOCACCIA
1 recipe Speedy Pizza Dough (Recipe follows)
2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh herbs (rosemary, oregano, basil or thyme) chopped or 2 tsp (10 ml) dried herbs
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Cornmeal, (for dusting baking sheet) Coarse salt
Toppings (See below)

SPEEDY PIZZA DOUGH
2-1/2 - 3 cups (625 - 750 ml) all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp (3 ml) salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) Fleischmann's quick-rise
Instant yeast (1 envelope)
1 cup (250 ml) water
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

Directions

FOCACCIA

Prepare Speedy Pizza Dough adding half the fresh or dried herbs to the dry ingredients.

Slice garlic into olive oil and set aside.

Press dough into an 8in (20-cm) square or oval, about 3/4in (2cm) thick. Place on a well-greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 30 - 40 minutes.

Using your fingertips press 'dimples' in the surface to about 3/4 of the depth. Brush the surface with some of the garlic-flavoured oil. Sprinkle surface of dough with the remaining herbs and coarse salt, and add toppings of your choice if desired, pressing them into the dough. Mist lightly with water using a spray bottle.

Mist interior of a preheated 400F (200C) oven with a quick spritz of water from a spray bottle. Misting insures a crisp crust. Slip bread into the hot oven. After 5 minutes, mist oven again, then continue baking for 20 Ð 30 minutes until bread has a golden crust. Remove from oven and brush top with more of the olive oil.

Makes 1 loaf

TOPPINGS: Before the focaccia goes in the oven, add toppings such as goat cheese, ricotta, grated parmesan, slivers of fresh garlic, sliced grilled onions, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, olives, figs, or roasted peppers if desired.


SPEEDY PIZZA DOUGH

Toss 2 cups (500 ml) flour with salt and yeast in a large bowl. If making the herbed focaccia, add 1/2 herbs to the dry ingredients.

Heat water and oil until hot (125F/50C). Briskly stir or beat the liquid into the flour mixture for about 2 minutes.

Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes, adding more flour when the dough becomes sticky. (You may not need to use all the flour.)

Shape dough into a smooth ball, cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Comments / Notes:

Recipe from Best Summer Weekends Cookbook by Jane Rodmell, founder of All the Best Fine Foods.

Robert Lamont is the Director of Catering and Retail Operations at All The Best Fine Foods. Robert works closely with Jane Rodmell, the company's President, Executive Chef David Cousins and Mario Totaro, the Pastry Chef to bring All The Best clients the most exciting take out gourmet cuisine in Toronto. All The Best Fine Foods has been a leading gourmet food retailer in Toronto since it's inception over two decades ago. Using the freshest ingredients available and no fake flavourings All The Best is the destination for all your food and entertaining needs.