Friday, August 28, 2009

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

I've had this recipe in my "to try" pile for quite some time now. I love Carino's and Macaroni Grill's bread with oil... that's kind of the whole reason I go there to eat. So, when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it and it totally hit the spot. I doubled the recipe for dinner group, and made 4 loaves, thinking I'd take the extra loaf to a neighbor or something nice like that. Instead, Jared and I polished 2 loaves off in about 5 minutes flat. It was sooo good and relatively simple. We just used some balsamic vinaigrette to dip it in, but next time I'll make a good oil dip myself. (Perhaps this one, with some roasted garlic?) I got the recipe from Our Best Bites, and went ahead and "borrowed" their pictures, too, since my bread was devoured long before I ever had a chance to get a picture.

Rosemary Focaccia Bread (Makes 2 small loaves, allow at least 2 1/2 hours)
1 c. warm (105-115 degrees Fahrenheit) water
1 Tbsp. yeast (I used 2 packages)
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. Kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 Tbsp. butter, divided
2 Tbsp. rosemary (dried or fresh)
2 1/4-2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until bubbly (I never need 10 minutes...) While the yeast is getting bubbly, combine 2 C of the flour, salt, 1 Tbsp. rosemary.

2. Add flour mixture to yeast mixture along with 1 Tbsp. melted butter. Mix well. (I put it in my stand mixer with the dough hook on). Slowly add remaining flour to make a very soft dough--try and resist the urge to add too much flour. You want a soft, slightly sticky, wet dough. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

3. Lightly flour work surface and transfer dough onto this surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a round loaf and place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza stone. Cover and allow to rise another 45 minutes.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and mix with remaining tablespoon of rosemary. Brush on loaves and sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly golden-brown. I baked mine on two different pans, one dark and one light and the bottoms on my dark pan ending up burning, so use a light colored pan if possible and don't let the tops get too brown.

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