A few years back I had decided to take a part time job, at a local bakery while the kids were in school. I wasn't new to working in a bakery, but this one was different. Owned and operated by a fourth generation Italian baker, Joe and his wife Annie. What I enjoyed the most about this time was that Joe took his time to teach and share everything he knew about baking, everything.
I learned to make old world style breads and pastries, that are still to this day the best I have ever had! While I decided to let the job go to pursue staying at home and growing my small soap business it didn't stop me from continuing to bake on an almost daily basis for years.
I have tweaked the recipes found in popular bread books and following the techniques for bread baking that Joe shared I have come up with a few favorites of my own, I wanted to share.
My Cottage Style Focaccia Recipe:
3 cups unbleached white flour {not self rising}
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
3 glugs olive oil
2 teaspoons yeast {rapid rise}
a couple handfuls of Shredded Parmesan Cheese
4 tablespoons Basil {i love. love. love basil}
1 small cast iron skillet
Prepare your cast iron skillet ahead of time by pouring in 3 glugs {equal to 3 tablespoons} of Olive Oil in the skillet...then set it aside.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
I start by combining yeast, water and honey in a measuring cup and set it aside...let it sit for about 10 minutes while you combine flour, salt, basil, cheese and olive oil.
In the summer when we have an overabundance of tomatoes, I will slice them up to dry and add some to this recipe.
Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Blend everything in together then start to knead the dough, I use my Kitchenaide mixer with bread hook attachment for kneading but there have been many time I have used just my hands...both will work fine. Kneading with your hands is a good way to get rid of frustration!
If you are kneading with your hands, be sure and lightly dust your workspace with flour first so it doesn't stick. With the kitchenaide I knead the dough for 5 minutes, with my hands it's a bit longer. Try not to tear the dough when kneading. You will know the dough is ready when the consistency is almost like elastic and not sticky anymore.
After you let the dough rest for about 15 minutes you can begin to flatten it out with your hands, directly in your oiled skillet. After it's flattened out in the skillet just flip it over and make sure it has a good covering of olive oil all over.
Cover it and let it rise {about 15-20 minutes}, then sprinkle the top with salt and then pop it in the oven. I'm terrible about timing my baking, I usually just take a peak to see if it's turned brown on top to know it's done. But by my guess it takes about 20 minutes to bake.
If this is the first time you have ever made bread, I know it seems a bit complicated but trust me once you do it a few times you don't even need a recipe.
Happy Bread Making!
