Focaccia

My children love focaccia, especially my oldest son. I have noticed the pattern, have you?  Yes my children are obsessed and love all foods that are bread, and yes we will NEVER be changing our food lifestyle and remove bread (provided none of us finds out we have a health reason to remove gluten).  I really feel so much sadness for my family and friends who for many reasons are unable to have bread, gluten, or anything related.  I shed a tear for you and pray that heaven has bread for you that surpasses what we have here.  Focaccia is Italian flat bread.  It has a lot in common with thick crust pizza.  We LOVE focaccia and we want to slowly convert all of you.  Are you ready? Seriously are you ready?  Oh wait you are reading this and not sitting next to me.  Moving on now,  I really should stop talking to myself now.

 Look at that soft, garlic infused oil, salty goodness.

 Ingredients for this recipe are: 1/2 ounce active dry yeast, 2 cups warm water (microwave for
30 seconds), 1 tablespoon sugar, 5 1/2 cups flour, olive oil, and 1 tablespoon salt.

 Pour yeast, sugar, and water in mixing bowl, allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Yes ten minutes, I know that is a LONG time especially for my friends who  have trouble with letting yeast rest.

 Ten minutes later, we have happy yeast.  Look how much foamy goodness has developed?

 Add flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Mix with hook attachment, when a dough ball forms knead on medium for ten minutes.

Add olive oil to bowl and rub ball of dough.   Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm place for 30 minutes.  I have a large wood cutting board that I proof my dough on.  Since today was a cloudy cold day and my kitchen window was not warm, my cutting board was preferred over my cold granite counter top.  After 30 minutes, punch that dough, take the wind out of it sails, show it who's boss, then let it rest from your beating for 30 minutes.

Preheat Oven to 450 Fahrenheit

I freeze peeled garlic, so I pulled out four small cloves of garlic and put them in a small glass cup with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  This will work with fresh too.  Microwave for 30 seconds.

 Place garlic in a press, and squish it into a bowl.  Or you could mash the cloves with a fork in a bowl.

 See what happens when you beat your dough down, it grows even bigger to spite you (It should thank you really).  No really it got bigger.  

No dough was harmed in the making of this focaccia.

 Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil to two 9 inch cake pans, or 9x13 rectangular pan (round is better though). 

 Divide dough between pans, and squash it into the pan, use your fingers to dimple the whole surface.  Pour garlic and oil on each focaccia, and sprinkle with course salt.  At this point you could add herbs, onions, cheese, tomatoes (your choice).  Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, check after 20.

 After baking, remove from pans, cool slightly.

Slice with a pizza cutter into slices.

Enjoy!