Wanted: Foccacia Bread Recipe

I once went to a restaurant that served the most wonderful foccacia bread I have ever tasted. I have yet to find a recipe that came near this bread. It was round, full of bubble holes and a dense bread almost like an English Muffin....but not. Can anyone help me out here?

Thank you, CCCathy

Recipes : Fabulous Focaccia : Food Network

2 teaspoons rapid-rising dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Cornmeal, for dusting

Toppings:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 tablespoon coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve. Let stand 3 minutes until foam appears. Turn mixer on low and slowly add the flour to the bowl. Dissolve salt in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel and let rise over a gas pilot light on the stovetop or other warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Coat a sheet pan with a little olive oil and corn meal. Once the dough is doubled and domed, turn it out onto the counter. Roll and stretch the dough out to an oblong shape about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough on the pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, coat a small saute pan with olive oil, add the onion, and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until the onions caramelize. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Uncover the dough and dimple with your fingertips. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then add caramelized onions, garlic, cheese, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Bake on the bottom rack for 20 to 25 minutes.

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This is basically what I do. I modified this a little here removing the olives and bumping up the cooking time. I just don't like olives lol..

You can't go wrong with any of Peter Reinhart's formulae.

Check out his focaccia recipe in "The Bread Baker's Apprentice."

Caution: Once you make a bread, any bread, using his delayed fermentation techniques you'll be hooked.

Cook Chatty Cathy said:

I once went to a restaurant that served the most wonderful foccacia bread I have ever tasted. I have yet to find a recipe that came near this bread. It was round, full of bubble holes and a dense bread almost like an English Muffin....but not. Can anyone help me out here?

Thank you, CCCathy

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In our family we always made foccacia completely by hand for the restaurants as well as for home.

Today things are a lot different. Flours are different, many come from a sack and all you need to add is water - or depending on the mix - possibly another ingredient or two. One sack of "dry mix" will make several different things. It's cheaper for the restaurants. Many times the dough is prepared (once again using a commercial mix) by a baker or bread company and it is flash frozen and sent to restaurants and pizzerias. You think you are getting a "homemade" dough when you aren't. A dear friend of mine sells tons of "doughs" that have been flash frozen to all parts of the states. And no one knows it comes from a bread bakery. These doughs even go into the large supermarket chains and as you watch the dough "proof" you think they made it themselves - they didn't - it came in frozen. But they fool you. You have to work in the industry to actually see what is done and all the tricks there are out there.

Don't be discouraged if you're recipe is not the exact texture, flavor, etc. as what you ate in a restaurant or got in a supermarket, pizzeria, deli, etc. If after trying the recipe posted you want to try others - just let me know.

Mama

There are about as many different recipes for Foccacia bread as there are for apple pie. I have seen many different incarnations in my time, from a flat slightly leavened type, to huge domes of bread.

I am actually making up some of the flatter kind tonight to go with our spaghetti dinner. It is basically the same as the one above, except I use active yeast instead of instant, and only let it rise once (the above rises once too, but with normal yeast, you would let it rise twice). The bread only rises a little, and after you let it cool for about 5 minutes, you can cut it into 1 1/2 wide strips and serve it like you would garlic bread. I made that type for the super bowl party to go with the chili and everyone simply raved about it.

Much Thanks to everyone who has responded, I am aiming for the flatter type bread and so shall go with Jafo's last posted suggestion. MamaM I know what you mean by prepackaged "stuff" and we are totally "Bluffed" some of the time! KYH I will not give up, I am fortunate in the fact that I have a fiance' that just loves homemade bread so much he even likes my FLUBS .

I have had a horrid virus and for some reason my system seems to be craving a denser bread and veggie's GO FIGURE!

Thanks once again my forum friends! Cathy

Cathy -

Hope you're feeling better - get rid of the virus!

One thing about homemade bread - it is denser - and depending on the grains used - can be quite dense and it is so much better for you than storebought crap!

Wonder Bread was good when it came out - but like all other breads - everything changed and it's all yucky junk!

Happy bread baking!

Mama

I worked in a restaurant that used to use those small frozen dough rolls. Considering it was just the side bread for the table, it wasn't really a big deal. We made everything else from scratch mostly but we just did not have the time to make the bread. A lot of times when I make up my own, I will double the recipe and shape out a loaf of dough then wrap it in plastic and put it in the freezer.. Those days when you want fresh bread but don't want to be bothered with making it up, they come in handy and really, I cannot tell the difference.

Mama Mangia said:

One thing about homemade bread - it is denser - and depending on the grains used - can be quite dense and it is so much better for you than storebought crap!

Wonder Bread was good when it came out - but like all other breads - everything changed and it's all yucky junk!

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You nailed that on the head. I remember when Wonder Bread was good, now when I taste it, it is like I am biting into a loaf of sugar. It is so sweet and mushy.

I don't make my own bread all the time, as where I live there are a ton of good bakeries around here where you can get some really good tasting local breads. I think on average I probably make it 5-6 times a month.

I still make bread constantly! I even make it for making dressing/stuffing. There is nothing like homemad bread used in your dressing recipes!

I prefer to eat bread that is made fresh - and will go stale in a day. That to me is healthy bread. Years ago - wonder bread didn't last 2 days - now it lasts a month on the shelf! I cannot believe these expiration dates on foods today! It is so scary!

Hi All,

I think I am cured, nothing like good fresh bread and veggies after a bout of the "nasty-tummy virus"!

I am in the same train of thought as you all are about homemade bread being so much better, and so what if it does go stale in a day or 2 - the French Toast from that bread is simply the best!

MamaM where I grew up there was a Wonder Bread factory near-by and the smell from that factory was just "OH MY GOODNESS" Fabulous! - but as you mentioned it's a different story these days with the ingredients that prolong shelf life, etc... I guess the old argument is that it will last longer and feed more hungry mouths in the long run. For all the leaps and bounds in science and medicine I do believe there are trade-offs in quality and nutrition value, but we must continue to strive to go forward. IDK...Here I am making homemade dog food as a result of the pet food contamination a while back, and I won't purchase any food manufg. or pkg'd in China, 1st of all think how long it took to be shipped here! And 2nd their standards are just not policed as strictly as stateside! I live near (right behind a factory that processes poultry) and they mfg. all types frozen poultry products, I am personally acquainted with the owners as well as the biologists who work in the lab, this company adheres to very strict standards, and I would not hesitate to eat anything from their facility. I see the semi-trucks bringing in the live chickens on a regular basis. I do believe America still has a majority of very safe handling and pkg'ing procedures in place. Just my opinion, I am sure there are exceptions... for the bad guys I HOPE THE FDA GETS "EM

I am thankful for the skills to enjoy cooking from scratch and enjoy the finished product so much! I do think even I eat a diet that is too rich at times. After having this virus, I am of-course thinking "Wow..I eat too much meat and injest way too much fat." I have that mentality to re-think my own diet and maybe do some fine-tuning here and there. I believe balance is the answer and Boy can I get that out of wack at times, however unintentional! Well just thinking out loud, and sharing my thoughts. Like we discussed a few weeks back, a good fast every now and then is a proven "Good Thing", even if it was brought about by a virus!!!

That foccacia bread was the "Bomb" Jafo! I have had it with every meal today ( I allready threw balance out the window)

MamaM I'd love any recipes for foccacia you would like to share as well, the more the merrier!

Cheers, Cathy

As a child we took a field trip several times to the Wonder Bakery in town. They always gave us a "loaf" of bread - which was about the size of a hotdog roll (in those days - not today's crappy nothing hotdog rolls).

That bakery always smelled so good - but then again - we baked bread everyday and our house always smelled so good!

You can use any bread/pizza dough recipe for foccacia. My aunt would make a huge batch of bread dough - and make bread, pizza, foccacia and calzones from it!


DOUGH
2 cups bread flour (2 to 2 1/2 cups)
1 package rapid rise yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup very warm water (125º to 130ºF)
1 tablespoon olive oil

PESTO-TOMATO SAUCE*
6 teaspoons prepared pesto sauce
2 medium tomatoes -- quartered and sliced
3 tablespoons pine nuts

To make dough: In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast and salt. Stir water and oil into dry ingredients. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.

Divide dough into six equal portions; form each into smooth ball. Roll each ball into 5-inch round. Place on greased baking sheets.

Spread 1 teaspoon pesto sauce on each round. Top each with two to three slices tomato and sprinkle with pine nuts; dividing evenly. Cover; let rise in warm draft-free place until almost doubled in size, 20 to 30 minutes.

Bake at 425ºF for 15 to 18 minutes or until done, switching positions of sheets halfway through baking for even browning. Makes six 6-inch flat breads. Remove from sheets and cool on wire racks.


Yield:
"6 Flat breads"



NOTES : *Other Toppings:

Brush rounds with olive oil and sprinkle with one of the following combinations:
? sliced mushrooms, sliced red onion, grated Parmesan cheese, chopped green onions
? crumbled Feta cheese, walnut halves, basil leaves, sliced red bell pepper
? sliced black olives, sliced red and green bell pepper, pecan halves, minced garlic

Herbed Onion Focaccia

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour -- * see note
1 package rapid rise yeast
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves -- crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup very warm water (120º to 130ºF)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves -- crushed
1 teaspoon coarse salt (optional)

In large bowl, combine 1 3/4 cups flour, undissolved yeast, oregano and salt. Stir water and 2 tablespoons oil into dry ingredients. Stir in egg and enough remaining flour to make stiff batter. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium heat, heat 1/4 cup oil until hot. Add onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until soft but not browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.

With lightly oiled hands, spread batter in oiled 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Make small indentations in surface of batter with finger or end of wooden spoon. Spread reserved onion mixture evenly over batter. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse salt, if desired. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in warm, draft-free place until almost doubled in size, about 15 to 30 minutes.

Bake at 400ºF for 25 minutes or until done. Cool in pan on wire rack. Serve warm or cool, cut into 3-inch squares.



NOTES : *To measure flour: spoon into standard dry-ingredient measuring cup; level with straight-edged knife.

MamaM I remember those little give-away loaves too! Wow, were we in the same class growing up?

I never remember my Mom doing any homemade bread; she would occassionally make Jiffy cornbread mix, or biscuits from a can, but the smell of home baked bread did not come into my life until I did it myself when my children were toddlers, 30 yrs ago!

I will most definetley give your recipes a whirl, I know you are right about the dough. I guess there are as many ways to prepare a basic dough as there are doughs! I tell you that foccacia toasted up so good yesterday for sandwiches! It's all gone now .

I like the suggestion Jafo had of freezing some up for future use, when working full time it's hard to come home at 6 something pm and try to turn out a good dough before bedtime. Weekends are my salvation, and unfortunatley Sat. is a 1/2 day at work for me too! I feel fortunate I ever find time to cook.

Cheerio, CCCathy

Cathy -

You will eventually stumble across a recipe for bread dough that you will like and be able to freeze as well.

Another trick - after the first rise - place your dough (enough for a pizza, loaf or bread or foccacia - about 1 lb) in a good-sized plastic bag and carefully - very carefully place in the fridge. Force most of the air out and place your twist tie as far to the end as possible. Do not shove the dough all the way into bag. Place on your rack in the fridge and don't let anything touch it. It will "grow" and fill the bag! It's nice to make at night and you have fresh dough for the next day. It also cuts down on the rise time that way. When I am pressed for time I do that. Or I make a large batch of dough for bread, second rise some of it to bake that day, "bag" some for pizza, calzone, foccacia, fried dough, etc. the next day.

You may want to try it. Remember - do not touch the dough in the bag - remove from the fridge very gently. Remove from bag very gently - or use your kitchen shears and cut the bag off.

Mama

Thank you Mama I will use your advise! Gosh fresh baked bread in the AM would be just too much, I'd think I've woke and up in heaven!!!

Cathy

As an alternative to the plastic bag, cover the dough with cling film that has been sprayed with kitchen oil. Works like a charm, with nary any sticking.

Again, thanks to Peter Reinhart for that tip.

Plastic wrap would never work for my dough - it grows much too big for that. I use plastic bags that I purchase from a local bakery just for that purpose. Plastic wrap to me would be a disaster.

Never chance ruining a beautiful dough!

I used to use large bowls - but there is not always room. I have one shelf in the fridge that works perfectly for that; wouldn't fit a bowl, but it gives a good rise for my dough. And if making a big batch - not enough room for a lot of large bowls. And covering the bowl with plastic wrap would suffocate the dough - not enough room to rise right. I stick to my bags.

I understand all your points, Mama. The one problem, however, is that most people do not have access to food-grade plastic bags that are large enough.

When using cling film it is loosely wrapped over the dough, precisely so there's room for the dough to rise. If you press down the edges, as you would when sealing food in a bowl, then the problem you identify prevails.

The real advantage of using plastic bags, when they're available, is that it guarantees the dough will not pick up stray odors and flavors from other things in the fridge.

One of these days I'm going to have a fridge dedicated just to baking. And a wood-fired hearth oven. And a.......

At any rate, the beauty of letting the dough rise in the fridge is that it's a slow process. Several things happen to bread dough when it goes through that delayed fermentation process. First off, the gluten strands really have a chance to develop. Second, and perhaps more important, there is enough time for enzymes to do their thing, converting starches to sugar. This makes for a deeply mellow tasting crumb, and a beautiful crust. Crust is a function of surface sugars caramelizing, of course, and the more sugar available for this the better.

wow. with all the appliances you just mentioned it really makes me realize how complex the art of baking really is. i guess it makes you appreciate it all the more.