Focaccia is one of my favorite breads to bake, mainly because it is both very forgiving AND can be ready at dinner time when you realize at 3pm that you do want fresh bread with dinner after all.  An excellent starting point for beginning bakers, it can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be.  And like me, some days I’m easy and some days I’m more complicated.

I use a lot of the Cooking Light recipes for bread.  They’re written for the home cook with some skill but not a degree from the CIA.  I have their baking book but I’m intimidated by most of the recipes in it.  Here are two of my most-used focaccia recipes.

Herbed Focaccia from Cooking Light

Ingredients

• All-purpose Pizza Dough (I add about a TBSP of honey and 2TBSP olive oil to dough, click link for recipe).
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

1. Roll prepared dough into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Sprinkle the parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme over the dough. Fold the dough into thirds. Knead lightly 1 minute or until the herbs are blended into the dough. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Roll dough into a 14 x 12-inch rectangle. Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place 35 minutes or until doubled in size.
2. Preheat oven to 450°.
3. Uncover the dough. Make indentations in top of dough using the handle of a wooden spoon or your fingertips. Gently brush the dough with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake dough at 450° for 15 minutes or until browned.

When you’re ready to attempt one that’s a bit more time consuming, here’s another one I like (tweaked of course). It calls for creating a sponge first which is a lot less complicated than it sounds.  I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light’s Rosemary Focaccia, which is also very good, especially in the winter when good tomatoes are hard to find. Thinly sliced potatoes are another winter topping option.

Tomato Basil Focaccia

Ingredients

• Sponge:
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 grams)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Dough:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 grams)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (60 grams)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• Cooking spray
• Topping:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup basil, cut in a chiffonade
• 1 cup very thinly sliced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

1. To prepare sponge, dissolve honey and yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife or weigh flour. Add 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons oil to yeast mixture, stirring until well combined. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour.
   

   The sponge covered with plastic wrap to keep the humidity in. I place a towel under and one over the bowl too.

   

   After an hour.

2. To prepare dough, lightly spoon 1 cup all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife or weigh. Stir 1 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and chopped basil into yeast mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed 6 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic (dough will be sticky). Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size (dough will be wet).
   

   Dough is sticky, scrape into a bowl or dough doubler to rise or cover mixer bowl and leave to rise.

   

   I use a tightly sealed container to rise dough.

   

   Dough was ready in about an hour, deflate then scrape out onto pan.

3. Preheat oven to 400°.  Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is really hot.
4. Scrape dough into a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.
   

   Resist the urge to touch it with your fingers. It’s still really sticky.

5. Gently press dough into a 12 x 8-inch rectangle.
   

   Use a rubber spatula to scrape dough and push into shape.

6. Brush dough with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
   

   Brush dough with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise again for about 30 minutes.

7. Cover; let rest 30 minutes.
8. Slice tomatoes thinly.  Chiffonadebasil.
   

   I used a mandolin to slice the tomatoes.

   

   About a cup of each.

9. Par-bake bread for 15 minutes if you are using a wet topping.
   

   Bake the bread for 15 minutes, then pull out of oven to add the toppings.

   

   Quickly add toppings then finish in the oven.

10. Bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.  Slice with a pizza cutter.

The finished product- YUM!