Herbed Focaccia
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced fine
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- crushed red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, garlic, thyme, rosemary and a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper to a skillet. Cook on low heat until herbs let off their fragrance, about 5 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the yeast, warm water and sugar. Stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of flour along with 1/4 cup of the garlic-herb oil. When just moist, allow the dough to sit for another 5 minutes.
- Add in the rest of the flour and salt. Mix until it forms a dough.
- Put the dough onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough about 15 times. Put the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
- To bake the bread, oil a 13x9-inch high-rimmed baking pan with about 2 tablespoons of the garlic-herb oil. Put the dough onto the baking sheet and press into the pan, using your fingertips to create small indentions in the dough.
- Pour about 2 tablespoons of the remaining garlic-herb oil on the top of the dough. Let the dough rise for 15-20 minutes.
- Bake in a preheated 450-degree F oven for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
I use a lot more garlic than called for in the recipe. I don't chop it up. I cook gently until it is a little soft and then put it through a garlic press.
I also cut back on the amount of olive oil used. I put about 3 Tbsp in the skillet with the garlic and herbs. After pressing the garlic, I put it and all the scrapings from the skillet into the dough. I topped the dough with a a couple more Tbsp of olive oil before baking.