We’ve officially jumped on the bread-making bandwagon. While we admire those who are turning out beautiful and intricate sourdoughs and French loaves, we are opting for one of our stand-bys: delicious, relatively quick and easy.
We call it our Kitchen Sink Focaccia because you can top it with pretty much everything but the kitchen sink! Most recipes call for some sort of herb topping, which is classic and always reliable. But why not dress it up a bit? Rosemary, sure. How about garlic? Or dill. Or olives. Or cheese. Want several toppings, why not? Plain is also fantastic too, when it’s piping hot and dipped in Grove 45 extra virgin olive oil and good balsamic.
If you don’t have a stand mixer with a bread hook, feel free to mix in a glass bowl with a wooden spoon (or knead with your hands, which is even more fun).
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water (around 110 degrees)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 package active-dry yeast
4 cups flour (you can use all-purpose or bread flour)
1/3 cup Grove 45 extra virgin olive oil, plus more for pan and topping
2 teaspoons salt
Optional toppings:
Coarse sea salt
Fresh rosemary
Garlic
Chives
Parmesan or other hard, shaved cheeses
Olives
Caramelized onions
Roasted artichoke hearts
Sun-dried tomatoes
Prosciutto, Sopressata, Coppa, or other charcuterie
Pretty much anything else you can think of!
Instructions
Combine warm water, yeast, and sugar in mixer bowl. Stir gently to combine and let sit until the yeast is puffy and foamy (about 8-10 minutes).
Add the flour, salt, olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture, and mix until combined. Increase to medium speed, and continue mixing/kneading until dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add an additional ¼ cup flour.
Oil a large bowl with olive oil. Remove dough from bowl and form into a ball. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it over several times to cover dough in oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel (linen or flour sack is best) and let rise in a warm area (near your stove top is a great place) for 1 hour.
Once dough has doubled in size, oil a sheet pan or cast iron skillet with more olive oil, and drop the dough onto the prepared pan and turn it over several times to make sure it is coated in oil. Then gently stretch the dough to the size of the pan.
With your fingers, create indentations in the dough, pressing almost all the way down to the bottom.
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel again, and let rise for 1 more hour.
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the towel and brush with more olive oil (yeah, we know, it’s a lot but that’s the point!) on the dough, about 2-3 more tablespoons. Cover with your topping of choice (if you choose cheese or charcuterie, cover the pan in foil to prevent burning).
Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. If covered, uncover in the last 5 minutes for a lovely golden brown finish.
Remove bread from the pan and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Enjoy!