Focaccia Bread - Mmmm

After I took this out of the oven, sliced myself a piece and ate it, I turned to my dad and said: "Only when I bake bread, do I feel like a true baker." 

Okay, scratch that. I did not say that word for word, but I did comment about how bread gives me a greater sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. I'm sure many bakers out there feel the same!

It is quite satisfying and magical watching the small lump of dough rise three times it size and become so soft and fluffy to the touch. I had a lot of fun improvising on this recipe and did not use all the ingredients specified. I added dried basil and thyme to the dry ingredients/bread mix. I omitted onion and garlic powder (because I don't have it), but added italian spices, dried basil and thyme, rosemary and some finely chopped garlic. I also added dried chilli and pepper flakes. 

Once again, this was something I had bookmarked a long time ago from Crepes of Wrath and forced myself to try today. 

Focaccia Bread

Recipe taken from Crepes of Wrath. Link here.

Ingredients

For the bread:

• 2 cups warm (about 115 degrees F) water
• 2¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
• 4½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2½ teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon olive oil

For the topping:

• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon crused red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Combine your water and yeast in a large mixing bowl, stir once, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes or so, until the mixture has foamed. Mine actually didn't foam that well, honestly...I let it sit for 20 minutes with mediocre foaming results, but I am impatient so I went ahead with this recipe and it still turned out great! So as long as the texture changes a bit, you should be alright (so long as your yeast isn't a year old).
2. Add in 3½ cups of your flour, along with your sugar, salt, and olive oil. Knead by hand or with your dough hook for 8-10 minutes, until very well combined and beginning to look smooth, then add in the remaining 1 cup of flour very slowly. Knead the dough until it is smooth and pulls away from your hands (AKA becomes less sticky) or the sides of your mixing bowl. Place the dough in a large, well oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a cloth towel (this helps the bowl to retain heat and allows the bread to rise), and place in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
3. After the first rising period, coat a baking sheet (standard size baking sheets are 10x15-inches) well with oil, then punch the dough down and remove it from the bowl. Use your fingers to spread it out as evenly as possible over the sheet (it doesn't have to be perfect). Cover the sheet again with a cloth, then allow it to rise for an additional 45 minutes, until puffy looking.
4. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. When you are ready to bake, make dents in the bread all over with your knuckle (but don't make them so far down that you touch the baking tray through the bread), then drizzle 1½ tablespoons of olive oil evenly over the bread. Sprinkle with your combined spices, then bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and set. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing and dipping in olive oil, spreading with butter, or making into sandwiches or pizza!