So I faced my fears, and went ahead and made bread for the first time EVER the other day. I referred to my special issue of Taste of Home "Recipe Card Collection" and found a recipe for some beautiful looking focaccia (see pic above, courtesy of Taste of Home). First to the good news. The focaccia was AMAZING. Light and airy but full of flavor. Everyone loved it. Now to the bad news. My personality does NOT mix with break baking. For pete's sake, you have to let this stuff rise for hours, your hands get all gooped up with all the kneading, and after investing all this time in watching this dough baby grow, it just may deflate after all. I'd say that for the anal retentive and patience challenged home cook, skip the bread making bit. The agony of potential defeat by bread made me feel anxious and fidgety until I bit into the first chunk smothered with butter. Then I started feeling a bit more zenned out....
Are you ready for my pics now.....
uh-huh
That's what I'm talking about. Pretty good for the novice, aye? Not as pretty as TOH's, but I was pretty pleased with myself.
Herb Crusted Focaccia
12 Servings Prep: 40 min. + rising Bake: 20 min.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups warm water (110° to 115°), divided
1 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons salt
4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1-1/2 teaspoons small fresh sage leaves or 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano plus 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
additional olive oil, optional
Directions
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons oil, salt, 2 cups flour and remaining water. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Divide into three portions. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape each portion into an 8-in. circle; place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make several 1/4-in. indentations in each loaf.
Brush with remaining oil. Sprinkle with green onions, rosemary, sage and oregano. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Serve with olive oil for dipping if desired. Yield: 3 loaves.
I substituted the green onions for dried onions, and it turned out delish as well. I also changed the recipe to use olive oil vs. canola oil because olive oil brings it up a notch, wouldn't you say? So, everybody go out there and bake some bread. Maybe your personality is suited for bread making. I'm kinda sad that I've discovered myself to be within the instant gratification sub-group of foodie/cook. I think I'd rather pay the $5 for an awesome artisan loaf and use the hand-clenching nervous hours that I'd waste staring into the oven to whip up something that I could dip the bread in.
I also ask for forgiveness in this post coming out so late. My dumb PC has crashed and not until last night did my hubby show me how I can transfer all pics from my camera to this ridiculous laptop that I hate working on.
If anyone has an EASY, no rising bread recipe, send it my way!!
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