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November 12, 2007

Focaccia

So I have always loved the bread at the Macaroni Grill and have been looking for a similar recipe for ages. And then I stumbled across this recipe at Dad~baker&chef, it sounded just right and so I tried it! (sorry about the B&W pictures, I let my older son take some shots of the baby in B&W and forgot to switch it back!)

Focaccia
makes one 8" loaf

1 cup tepid water
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp ground sea salt
2 cups flour
olive oil
toppings: coarse sea salt, rosemary, olives...really anything
In a large bowl, dissolve the 1 tsp of instant yeast in 1 cup of tepid water. Add 1 cup of flour and 1 tsp of salt. Stir for a few minutes. Add another cup of flour and mix. Stir for another 2-3 minutes. Set aside in a warm spot to proof. The dough will rise nicely. Pour dough into an 8" cake pan well coated with olive oil. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with preferred topping. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated 230C oven.

As Dharm suggested I used extra water. "To get the right consistency, as it is supposed to be soft, sticky and almost liquid, I added another 1/4 cup of water." And since it turned out great I'm assuming it was the right thing to do. I might try to NOT add the extra water next time and see how it works.
I undercooked the bread a bit, I'm still figuring out my new oven and it had a nice crust, but was a bit too soft inside still. I pulled it out after 13 mins, so I think 2-4 more mins would have been perfect. I let my older 2 "help" and they each oiled their own pans and picked there own toppings. We put the course salt on both, and one choose grated Parmesan and the other choose Rosemary and basil.
The loafs were great! It was an incredibly easy recipe (just one bowl dirty, with one measuring cup and rubber spatula) with wonderful results. We finished one loaf last night and saved the other for tonight, so I'll update on how well it is the next day! And of course we served our with olive oil, fresh pepper and my FAVORITE balsamic vinegar (if you've never had it ask for it next time you go to the Macaroni Grill!)