Wanted: Foccacia Bread Recipe

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

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

[Jafo232]

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.

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..

[KYHeirloomer]

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.

[Mama Mangia]

Originally Posted by Cook Chatty Cathy

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

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

[Jafo232]

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.

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

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

[Mama Mangia]

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

[Jafo232]

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.

[Jafo232]

Originally Posted by Mama Mangia

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!

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.

[Mama Mangia]

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!