Focaccia is a popular Italian flat bread that’s dimpled and topped with olive oil and herbs. It’s quite versatile because changing herbs will change the flavor of the bread, making it highly adaptable from meal to meal. It can be topped with sage, rosemary, course sea salt, onions, garlic or olives. I topped mine with olive oil, some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and Greek seasoning. The inside of the dough was filled with diced garlic and basil. Talk about mouth-watering! 
It was absolutely scrumptious, and it was also the perfect accompaniment to our antipasto.
It’s an easy bread to make and doesn’t require long rising times…perfect for days when you want fresh bread but don’t have a lot of time to wait around for it.
Focaccia Bread (Adapted from:
“Bread: the breads of the world and how to bake them at home” by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter. See page 174 for the their focaccia bread recipe)
Ingredients:
- 5 cups bread flour
- 1 tsp. dry active yeast
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 4 tbsp. Greek yogurt
- 6-7 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 1/3 cups water + 1/2 cup water
- 7 cloves garlic, diced
- 2 tbsp. basil
- Parmesan cheese (freshly grated) for sprinkling the top of the bread
- Optional: Greek seasoning to taste
Instructions:
- Peel and dice the garlic, and then refrigerate it for later use.
- Grease two cake pans with olive oil. (You can skip this step if you’re cooking on a baking stone.)
- Mix the yeast, sugar, and 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a coffee cup. Let it set on the counter until the yeast gets foamy and rises up.
- In the meantime, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.
- After the yeast has foamed up, and it, along with the yogurt, 4 tbsp. olive oil, and 1 1/3 cups water to the flour. Mix well to make a soft dough.
- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
- Grease a clean bowl with olive oil, and then place the dough in the oiled bowl.
- Rub some olive oil on the dough as well, and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel.
- Put the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until it’s doubled in bulk.
- After the dough rises, punch out the air.
- Divide the dough into to equal pieces and then flatten each piece out. You can use a rolling pin or you can do it by hand.
- Sprinkle half the diced garlic and 1 tbsp. basil (fresh or dried) evenly on top of the dough.
- Now fold the dough up and shape it back into a ball, kneading it for about one minute.
- Roll the dough out into a circular shape and then place each one in a greased pan.
- Brush the dough with some olive oil and then cover it with plastic wrap or a towel. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- After the dough has rested for 30 minutes, take your fingers and press them into the dough so it will have that dimpled look.
- Sprinkle your toppings (I used freshly grated Parmesan cheese and Greek seasoning) on top of the oiled dough.
- Bake until the bread is golden brown. You’ll know it’s done if you insert a toothpick into the bread and it comes out clean.
