Olive and rosemary focaccia
Omit the olives if that’s not your thing, but the rosemary adds a beautiful and subtle scent.
We had so many meals with challah or pita during the last few weeks and I was ready for a change.
This recipe takes me back to eating in Italian restaurants with baskets full of warm bread and lots of olive oil for dipping. It’s a versatile recipe and beginner bakers can make this easily, although it takes about three hours because the dough needs to rise several times — but the dough is soft and easy to work with and it bakes quickly.
The best thing about this bread is that you can eat it shortly after you remove it from the oven. When I make baguette or sandwich loaves, it’s hard to wait for them to cool completely.
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This recipe gives almost instant gratification after baking. The edges get crispy from the olive oil and it can get a bit addictive. Use a stronger, good quality olive oil for the best flavor.
Omit the olives if that’s not your thing, but the rosemary adds a beautiful and subtle scent. Choose Kalamata olives or any other flavorful, salty olive. I happened to have some leftover mixed green and black Israeli canned olives. While I didn’t care for them in my salad because they were soft from soaking in brine, they were amazing in the focaccia. There is almost always a way to repurpose ingredients into something that you’ll love.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons yeast
2 cups warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2-4 extra tablespoons, if needed
2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
¾ cup pitted Mediterranean olives
1 ½-2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
Boil 1 cup of water, pour it into a liquid measuring cup and add 1 cup of cool water. The best water temperature for proofing yeast is about 110 F; 100 F is too cold and 120 F is too hot. If you don’t have a digital thermometer, put your finger into the water to test it. If the water would be too warm for a baby to bathe in, then let it cool for a minute and try again.
When the temperature is right, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of yeast over the top of the water. Allow it to make a bit of a skin over the top, which takes a minute, then give the water and yeast a quick stir with a fork.
Allow the yeast to proof for 10 minutes. This is a low yeast to water ratio, so you won’t see huge amounts of bubbling.
You can hand-mix this dough, but be forewarned: It’s super sticky in the beginning stages. I use a stand mixer with a dough hook.
Add 1 cup of the flour to the mixing bowl, start the mixer on a low setting, and gently pour the yeast and water into the bowl, using a spatula to scrape any extra yeast from the measuring cup.
Add 3 more cups of flour, one about every 30 seconds.
When the dough is about halfway combined, add the salt and knead for 10 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. If your mixer seems like it’s struggling, increase the speed.
If the dough is not coming into a ball after being kneaded for a few minutes, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to help it along. The dough ball can be a bit soft — it should come up the dough hook and detach completely from the walls of the mixing bowl. Once you get used to making different kinds of bread dough, you start to sense if it needs more flour or not. Every time I cook or bake I make notes. Eventually things get where I like them but experimentation never ends.
While the dough is mixing, set the oven to a low temperature, such as 200 F, so that the dough has a warm place to rise on the stovetop.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large glass bowl. When the dough is ready, pour it from the mixing bowl into the bowl with oil. The dough ball will be sitting in the olive oil; flip it over so all sides are coated in oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel, and allow it to rise on the stovetop for 1 ½ hours, when it should be about double in size.
The dough will be very easy to work with at this point because it has mixed in with the olive oil. Punch the dough down for a few minutes and form it back by pulling it up from the sides and tucking it into the center to form a ball.
Put the seam side down and repeat with the plastic wrap and towel. The second rise takes about 35-40 minutes, or until it has doubled in size again.
Use a metal sheet pan with sides to bake this bread, measuring about 10-by-13 inches. It’s important to use a metal pan to get crispy edges.
Brush the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and turn the dough onto the baking pan.
Use your fingers to press the dough evenly over the pan and as close to the edges and corners as possible. You will see extra oil around the edges of the pan and that’s OK.
Drizzle with 1 more (the third) tablespoon of oil and allow it to rest uncovered for 10 minutes.
Turn the oven temperature up to 475 F. The oven should be hot before baking, so be sure that the temperature rests at 475 F for at least 10 minutes before baking.
Press the fresh rosemary between your fingers to release the scent a bit before sprinkling it over the dough.
If you’re using olives, press them down into the dough over the rosemary leaves. The olives can be randomly placed or in rows.
Let this rise uncovered one more time for 20-25 minutes.
Spread your fingers out, like you’re about to play the piano, and press into the dough until you feel the bottom of the pan. Start at one of the narrow ends of the pan, and repeat until you get to the other end of the tray. This is what makes the indentations in the bread.
Bake for 18 minutes until golden brown. Be careful not to overbake or the crumb can get dry. Remove the pan from the oven, allow it to cool for 5 minutes before using a spatula to guide the entire loaf out onto a wire rack to cool.
The focaccia should not stick to the pan because you used plenty of olive oil — it should just slide right out.
Allow the bread to cool for 10 more minutes.
You can eat it warm or allow it to cool until you’re ready to serve your meal.
Cut into small squares or into wedges.
The best way to eat this is with a side of olive oil for dipping. You can add some salt, pepper, chili oil, or even za’atar to the olive oil.
Stored loosely wrapped in foil, the focaccia should last about 2 days before going stale.
My husband used the leftovers to make a “quick” pizza after Shabbat. By “quick” pizza, I mean quick: spread the sauce and cheese and bake. I felt like I had some gourmet Chicago deep dish — it was amazing!
Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC
Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.
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