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Focaccia

© Nita Daniel

Focaccia (foe-ka-cha) is one of the more trendy breads right now. I like it because, like our last hand-formed loaves of French bread, you don't need a loaf pan. Focaccia is also tasty, impressive, and easy to dress up. You can serve it with a meal, as a snack, or as the base for pizza.

First of all, what is focaccia? It's a yeast bread, traditionally formed in flat loaves, and brushed with olive oil and herbs. It orginated in Italy.

The name focaccia comes from the Latin word for focus, which means hearth. In the Middle Ages, dough was patted into flat rounds, and then baked in ashes or on the hearthstone. Today, you can bake it in your oven on a baking sheet, pizza stone, or even in a cake or casserole pan!

Some people will tell you that it's not focaccia unless it's the right shape. Others will tell you that it must contain olive oil. Some swear by their ceramic tile. There's even a place in my hometown, St Paul, Minn., that cooks it in an authentic Neopolitan wood-fired oven (Punch Woodfire Pizza.)

I've included my own favorite focaccia recipe, which I've cobbled together over time. I usually bake mine on a baking stone, but here I've given directions for using a baking sheet. Below the recipe, I've included links to other focaccia recipes that have been published on the Internet. Use them as is, or as a way to get ideas to dress up your own focaccia. Enjoy!

Recipe: Nita's Favorite Roasted Garlic Focaccia Ingredients

• 1 head garlic
• 1 T (1 package) active dry yeast
• 3/4 C warm water
• 1 t honey or sugar
• 1/3 C virgin olive oil
• 1 t salt
• 3-4 C unbleached flour
• cornmeal
• additional extra virgin olive oil for brushing
• additional salt for topping

Procedures

1. Roast the head of garlic in the oven, and set it aside to cool. (Roast garlic by cooking the whole head, wrapped in foil, for 30-40 min. in a 450 F oven. You can also roast garlic on the grill.)
2. Sprinkle the yeast in the water with the sugar, and let proof. About 10 minutes.
3. Cut the end off the cooled roasted garlic, and squeeze the pulp into the yeast mixture.
4. Stir in the salt and the 1/2 C olive oil.
5. Add the flour, 1/2 C at a time, until the mixture begins to form a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and continue to mix in the flour.

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