no knead easy foccacia

Bread has the simplest ingredients yet it is so difficult to get it right. It also requires a long waiting time during the proofing process and all you can do during this time is twiddle your thumbs and pray that it turns out perfect when you bake it a day later. 

What I liked about this recipe is that it uses such simple ingredients but it is so adaptable. It only takes 15 minutes to prep although it does take some time to proof, those hours of anticipation is totally worth it when you can smell that dough baking in the oven.

Foccacia is a somewhat 'posh' bread but so easily customizable and you can throw anything you want on it. Although I usually love mine simple with lots of flaky sea salt and olive oil, this time I've tried one with sundried tomatoes and herbs, and another with lemon & thyme.

Other things you can top foccacia with are fresh tomatoes, rosemary, garlic, olives and the list is indefinite.

These are perfect as nibbles for a party complemented with cheeses or you could even use it as bread for sandwiches when they are made slightly thinner.

Makes one large focaccia or two 9" x 13" small focaccia breads

Ingredients

1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups warm water
4 cups white flour
3 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
several pinches of sea salt

1.  Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a medium bowl. Wait a few minutes for the mixture to start to foam up. 

2. Outfit your KitchenAid with the hook extension, mix the flours and salt to combine on medium high speed. Add the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Mix until a rough ball of dough forms, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the dough from food processor. It should be moist but not too sticky. Form it into a ball. 

3. Add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil to a large glass bowl. Put in the ball of dough and turn it so it is coated on all sides. Cover with a tea towel and place it in a warm place to double in bulk, about 2 hours or alternatively you can proof it in the fridge overnight.

4. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil onto the baking sheet and rub it over the bottom and sides. Punch down the dough and place the dough on the baking sheet. Using your fingertips, coax and stretch the dough to cover the bottom of the pan; it may not reach all the way to the edges. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to rest, about 30-40 minutes. You'll need to proof this longer if the dough was taken out of the fridge.

5. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 220 deg Celsius with a rack in the middle of the oven. 

6. When the focaccias have puffed up in the pan a little, at this point, you can put on the toppings that you want on your foccacia. Using your fingertips, dimple (make shallow indentations) the surface of the focaccia all over. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of olive oil over the loaf, so the oil pools in the indentations here and there. Use a little more if needed. Sprinkle the loaf with 2 or 3 pinches of the flaky salt.

7. Place in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 180 deg Celsius  Bake about 20 - 25 minutes, checking after 15 minutes. The focaccia is ready when it's golden-brown.

8. Remove bread from oven. Using a hot pad or spatula, remove the bread from baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.