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

1. 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).

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. With your fingers, create indentations in the dough, pressing almost all the way down to the bottom.

6. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel again, and let rise for 1 more hour.

7. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

8. 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).

9. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. If covered, uncover in the last 5 minutes for a lovely golden brown finish.

10. Remove bread from the pan and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving. 

Enjoy!

As our nation is still coming to grips with the COVID-19 crisis, many are finding themselves home and cooking more with their families. Cooking, baking and generally being in the kitchen are wonderful boredom busters that allow us a chance to escape for a little while. Eating also releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy. (If eating doesn’t make you happy, then, well, you might be beyond our help, sorry about that.) 

This is one of our favorite recipes, one the whole family can make and enjoy together: a citrus olive oil cake that can be whipped up in less than an hour with lots of flexibility. You prefer lemons over limes, or grapefruit over orange? Totally fine. Or even no citrus at all. Your kitchen, your rules. You could even divide the recipie between smaller pans or muffin tins and have multiple versions. 

We recommend using fresh, pasture-raised eggs and the freshest citrus possible, which will give the cake a bright and lovely tint. 

Grove 45 Citrus Olive Oil Cake

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

5 large, pasture-raised eggs

2 teaspoons lemon zest (you can swap for limes, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, etc)

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (same as above)

1/2 cup of Grove 45 olive oil

2 cups all-purose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Generously grease your chosen cake pan

3. Add eggs, sugar and zest together in the bowl of stand mixer, beat on low for about 8-10 minutes or until thick and pale.

4. Slowly add lemon juice, followed by olive oil, until fully combined.

5. In another bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder.

6. Slowly add dry ingredients until just combined - do not over mix!

7. Pour batter into pan.

8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

9. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack 

Serve with basil, vanilla or pistachio ice cream or optional glazes include powdered sugar, citrus zest or glaze (1/2 cup powdered sugar combined with 3 tablespoons of fresh citrus juice).

Enjoy!