Herbed Focaccia Bread

W-O-W.  I truly think this is my favorite thing I have ever created in my kitchen.  I adore bread and have really been enjoying branching out and trying new bread recipes.  I love focaccia when it is served in restaurants and such, so I decided to give this recipe a shot and I am so glad I did.  It was really fairly easy too.  For some reason I was under the impression that focaccia was a difficult bread to make, but not so.  It may be the clarity of Peter Reinhart’s directions which leave little room for error.  This is now the second recipe of his that I have tried and both have turned out with amazing results (see also Heavenly Cinnamon Rolls).  I especially enjoyed the wonderful flavor that the herb oil added to the final product.  This bread is very versatile and we used it as breadsticks, sandwich bread and simply toasted and dipped in marinara sauce as a snack.  I could go on, but I won’t – let me just say if you feel at all compelled to try this, do!  Below is my slightly adapted version of the recipe.  See the link below for a more complete version.

Herbed Focaccia Bread
Ingredients:
5 cups unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. instant yeast
6 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups water, at room temperature
¼ to ½ cup herb oil (recipe below)

 

Directions:
Stir together the flour, salt and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Add the oil and water and mix on low speed with the paddle attachment until the ingredients form a wet, sticky ball.  Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky dough.  The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl.  (You may need to add additional flour to firm up the dough enough to clear the sides of the bowl, but the dough should still be quite soft and sticky.)

 

Sprinkle enough flour on the counter to make a bed about 6 inches square.  Using a scraper or spatula dipped in water, transfer the sticky dough to the bed of flour and dust liberally with flour, patting the dough into a rectangle.  Wait 5 minutes for the dough to relax.

 

Coat your hands with flour and stretch the dough from each end to twice its size.  Fold it, letter style, over itself to return it to a rectangular shape.  Mist the top of the dough with spray oil, again dust with flour and cover loosely with plastic wrap.

 

Let rest for 30 minutes.  Stretch and fold the dough again; mist with spray oil, dust with flour and cover.  After 30 minutes, repeat this one more time.

 

Allow the covered dough to ferment on the counter for 1 hour.  It should swell but not necessarily double in size.

 

Line a 17×12” sheet pan with baking parchment and proceed with the shaping and panning (instructions below).

 

Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight (or for up to 3 days).

 

Remove the pan from the refrigerator 3 hours before baking.  Drizzle additional herb oil over the surface and dimple it in.  (You can use all of it if you want; the dough will absorb it even though it looks like a lot.)  This should allow you to fill the pan completely with the dough a thickness of about ½-inch.  Add any other pre-proof toppings desired.  Again, cover the pan with plastic and proof the dough at room temperature for 3 hours, or until the dough doubles in size, rising to a thickness of nearly 1-inch.

 

Preheat the oven to 500° with the oven rack on the middle shelf.  Gently place any pre-bake toppings on the dough.

 

Place the pan in the oven.  Lower the oven setting to 450° and bake for 10 minutes.  Rotate the pan 180 degrees and continue baking the focaccia for 5-10 minutes, or until it begins to turn a light golden brown.  If you are using any during-baking toppings, sprinkle them on at this point and continue baking an additional 5 minutes or so.  The internal temperature of the dough should register 200° (measured in the center), and the cheese, if using, should melt, not burn.

Remove the pan from the oven and immediately transfer the focaccia out of the pan onto a cooling rack.  If the parchment is stuck on the bottom, carefully remove it by lifting the corner of the focaccia and peeling it off the bottom with a gentle tug.

 

Allow the focaccia to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving. 

 

Shaping Focaccia:
Drizzle ¼ cup of olive oil over the paper and spread it with your hands or a brush to cover the entire surface.  Lightly oil your hands and using a plastic or metal pastry scraper, lift the dough off the counter and transfer it to the sheet pan, maintaining the rectangular shape as much as possible.

 

Spoon half of the herb oil over the dough.  Use your fingertips to dimple the dough and spread it simultaneously.  Do not use the flat of your hands – only the fingertips – to avoid tearing or ripping the dough.  Try to keep the thickness as uniform as possible across the surface.  Dimpling allows you to de-gas only part of the dough while preserving gas in the non-dimpled sections.  If the dough becomes too springy, let it rest for about 15 minutes and then continue dimpling.  Don’t worry if you are unable to fill the pan 100 percent, especially the corners.  As the dough relaxes and proofs, it will spread out naturally.  Use more herb oil as needed to ensure that the entire surface is coated in oil.

 

Herb Oil:
Warm ½ cup olive oil over low heat in a small saucepan.  Add about 4 tsp. of dried herbs, such as basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, or sage.  Add about ¾ tsp. of kosher salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper, and 1-2 finely minced cloves garlic.  You may also add paprika, ground cayenne pepper, fennel seeds or onion powder to taste.  Allow to remain on low heat for about 1-1 ½ hours to allow the oil to become infused with the flavors. 

Store any leftover herb oil in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

 

Source: adapted from Amber’s Delectable Delights, originally from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart