Epic Focaccia Bread

By á-25138

This creates quite a large round loaf of bread. You could also stretch the dough thinner on a sheet pan or a pizza pan and just adjust the baking time accordingly.

Ingredients

• Suggested toppings:
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 4 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp dried sweet basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3/4 cup hot water
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• Roma tomatoes
• fresh basil
• feta cheese
• parmesan cheese
• artichokes
• sun-dried tomatoes
• roasted red peppers
• roasted garlic
• spinach
• olive oil
• pepper

Details

Adapted from betchacanteatjustone.wordpress.com

Preparation

Step 1

To make the bread:

In a measuring cup, combine the hot water with spices and the garlic to let the spices soften up a bit, add the olive oil to this mixture and let it cool to room temp.

In a mixer bowl combine the warm water with the yeast and the sugar and whisk together. I never wait for my yeast to proof and y bread always turns out great.

Add the cooled water with the spices and olive oil to the yeast mixture. Add the salt.

Mix the flour in, one cup at a time and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough should be quite soft but not sticky.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or with a clean tea towel and place aside to rise until doubled in bulk. 30-60 minutes.

Prepare your springform pan by greasing the sides and lining the bottom with parchment paper. I used my largest size pan.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Gently deflate the dough and turn out into the prepared springform pan and use your hands to manipulate the dough so it covers the whole pan.. Using your fingers, create dimples all over the surface of the dough. Top the bread with the toppings of your choice and set aside for about 30 minutes to rise while the oven preheats.

Bake your bread for 45-55 minutes, or until the edges are golden, and the middle of the bread sort of springs back when you tough it with your finger.

Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before removing the sides of the pan. Cool before serving.