ROSEMARY AND THYME FOCACCIA BREAD

ROSEMARY & THYME FOCACCIA BREAD

#SIAintheKitchen

I never realized how easy making focaccia bread was until one of my ex-coworkers made it. She made a brilliant version of vegan rosemary focaccia and I thought “Wow, this is tasty”. I asked her for the recipe and it really was simple. How hard could it be? With a handful of fresh rosemary from my mother’s garden, I was set to make an even better version: rosemary and thyme focaccia bread.

My mom used to always buy focaccia bread when I was growing up. It was quite possibly my most favourite bread ever. So soft, so flavourful, and so good on its own. I consumed so much of it as a kid - much better than other breads around the house, studded with fresh herbs, tomatoes, garlic and more. Supremely tasty by itself or dunked in fruity olive oil or to accompany a sauce pasta.

I followed a few different recipes for focaccia and I’d recommend increasing the amount of olive oil. I brushed on a liberal amount of olive oil on top that the oil would actually pool inside the dimples of the dough. When I pulled it out of the oven, I was worried because my bread looked and smelled beautiful but it was also sitting in a pool of olive oil! Was it ruined? Nope - you’ve just got to let it sit (as you would with cookies, loaves, bread and more) and the olive will soak right into the bread.

Be careful to not overbake it as the bread will dry out very quickly. Just bake until lightly brown. It should be soft to the touch!

ROSEMARY AND THYME FOCACCIA BREAD - makes 1 circular disc

• 2 1/2 tsps active dry yeast

• 1 1/2 cups warm water

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsps granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tsps kosher salt

• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only, roughly chopped

• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only

• Maldon sea salt

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the active dry yeast in the bowl of warm water. Set aside for up to 10 minutes or until the mixture is foamy.

2. In your stand mixer with the bread attachment, mix the flour, olive oil, sugar, salt and the yeast mixture on low until the dough comes together. If the dough is sticky, feel free to gradually add more flour in in 1/4 cup increments.

3. Remove the dough and form into a bowl. Place in a greased mixing bowl and cover with a warm damp towel. Set aside for 1 - 3 hours (I say 3 because I was doing house chores and forgot about it) until the dough has risen. It should have doubled in size.

4. Preheat the oven to 400F and spread the dough on a baking sheet, or, in my case a 10” pie dish. Make deep dimples in the dough by pressing down and brush with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt, rosemary and thyme and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.