A year ago, the idea of me baking my own bread was akin to the idea of me becoming a nuclear physicist. And trust me, I'm not scientist. But then, for some reason, I decided to make focaccia. On my first try, it was delicious. And I mean, devoured in 20 minutes flat delicious. I was so proud of myself I spent three solid months making focaccia at least twice a week. Since then I haven't been baking as much, but here is my simple, malleable, recipe for focaccia:
Ingredients:
-1 package (21/2 tsp) yeast
-1 cup warm water
-1tsp salt
-pinch sugar
-2 1/2 cups flour (give or take)
-Sea salt, onions, sage, cheese, olives, sun dried tomatoes... whatever your heart desires or whatever you have on hand.
-Dissolve yeast in water with a pinch of sugar. (This is the trickiest part of making bread. I usually use tap water that is cool enough to put my finger in but warm enough that it feels pretty hot when I do so. You don't want to kill the yeast by making the water too hot, but you want it warm enough to inspire a reaction with the yeast and sugar.)
-The yeast mixture should begin to get bubbly, you know it is working if this happens. If nothing happens you have a problem with your yeast (make sure it is fresh!) or the temperature of your water.
-Mix whatever extras you want to put in the bread (I recommend sea salt, onions, parmesan cheese and sage for your first batch) with the flour. Start with 2 1/2 cups but the trick of making bread is to adjust the amount of liquid and solid ingredients to make the right consistency dough.
-Mix in the yeast/water/sugar and olive oil.
-Nead for between 5 and 10 minutes. This is important! Don't skimp! The thing about breads is that you need to "feel" the dough is the right consistency since this is hard to describe. It is easier than you think and after a few batches you'll know exactly when the dough feels "right". It should be not very sticky, but not dry. You should be able to mold it without getting your hands covered in goop, but it needs to be able to stick together.
-Put the dough in an oiled bowl in a relatively warm place, covered with a cloth, and let it rise until it doubles in bulk. This should take an hour or two. When it has risen, make two loaves from the dough. They should be relatively flat and oval-shaped. Let these loaves rise another 20 minutes.
-Top loaves with sea salt, cheese, sage or whatever you want.
-Bake on oiled pan or pizza stone for 30 minutes or until baked through. (They probably need a little more time than this.)
When the bread is done it will be warm, moist, and delicious. Enjoy!
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