Focaccia

Focaccia is an Italian flatbread. It is an extremely flavorful and delicious bread. Focaccia is always served as a side dish. It can be served with piping hot soup. Focaccia can be baked using Rosemary, Garlic, cherry tomatoes, onions, and colorful bell peppers. It is crispy on the outer side and soft in the center. Baking Focaccia at home is an enjoyable activity. It is so much fun to be creative to decorate focaccia.

Ingredients:

Ingredient	Quantity
For making Herb Oil-
Extra-Virgin oil	½ Cup
Fresh or Dried Rosemary	1 tbsp
Black Pepper Powder	½ tbsp
Kosher Salt	½ tbsp
Red chili flakes	½ tbsp
Chopped garlic cloves	5-6 Nos
Dried Oregano	½ tbsp
Dried thyme	½ tbsp
For making dough:
Unbleached all-purpose flour	3 ½ Cups + ½ Cup
Dry yeast	½ tbsp
Sugar	1 tbsp
Water (warm around 40-45 degree C)	1 ½ Cups
salt	1 tbsp
Extra-virgin olive oil	1 tbsp
For Topping: Cherry tomatoes cut into halves	10-12 Nos

Recipe:

For making Herb Oil:

Add extra-virgin olive oil to a bowl
Add all dry herbs and chopped garlic to oil and whisk for a minute
Make this oil at least 2 hours before making Focaccia so that all the flavors are infused in olive oil

For making Focaccia:

In a mixing bowl, add approximately ½ Cup of warm water, yeast and sugar and mix well
Add ⅓ Cup of all-purpose flour
Mix well and cover and keep it aside in a warm place for 20 min
When this mixture becomes frothy, add 3 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, salt and ¾th cup of water
Mix well
Sprinkle some dry flour on a clean countertop and transfer the dough mixture on a countertop
Start kneading the dough
Continue adding a little flour to dough and knead by stretching and folding
The dough will be sticky
while adding flour, make sure the dough is not stiff
Add extra-virgin 1 tbsp of olive oil
Kneading process will take 12-13 minutes
If you are using a stand mixer, add frothy yeast mixture to a mixer bowl and add flour and salt
Turn on the mixture on a low speed
Slowly add water and knead the dough for about 7-8 minutes
Cover and keep it aside for proofing for an hour
Line a rectangular baking tray with a parchment paper
Place the dough in the center of a baking tray
Dip your fingers of both hands in herb oil
Start dimpling the dough
Spread the dough from the center towards the edges
Make sure not to spread the dough using palms, use fingers to spread the dough
Continue dimpling the dough till the dough covers the tray
Cover the tray and keep in warm place for about 30 minutes
Preheat the oven at 450 degree Fahrenheit or 230 degree Celsius
After proofing the dough for 30 min, place cherry tomatoes on Focaccia
Pour the herb oil generously on the focaccia
Bake focaccia on a middle rack of the oven at 450 degree Fahrenheit for 20 min or until the top becomes golden
Let it cool down on a cooling rack for about 10-15 min
Cut into square or rectangular pieces and serve with Herb oil or enjoy with your favorite soup