Saturday, July 18, 2009

A Birthday of Baking: Rosemary Focaccia


Today was my birthday. I celebrated by visiting my parents and doing some baking. About an hour or so into my baking, my mom asked, "Is this really what you want to be doing on your birthday?" I replied, "Yes, as long as I don't have to clean up." She replied, "Sounds good," and went back to washing dishes. She told me I could count the dish washing as a gift. Thanks, mom! :) Later on, my husband's family came over for dinner and we had a delicious meal and a wonderful time.

I almost always have a batch of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day's master recipe on hand. When I go to my parents' house, I usually make it for them. Today, I made some focaccia with the dough and some freshly-picked rosemary from my mom's herb pot I planted for her. Focaccia is one of my favorites and tastes even better with fresh rosemary. Here's my version:

Rosemary Focaccia

Approximately 1 lb. of no-knead boule or olive oil dough
Several sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped (dried can be substituted in a pinch)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt (like kosher or sea) and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll or pat the dough into a circle about a 1/2-inch thick on a cookie sheet greased with olive oil. Let rise approximately 20 minutes (the dough should no longer feel cool to the touch and be slightly puffy). Drizzle the olive oil on top of the bread and use a pastry/silicon brush to evenly spread it. Sprinkle with the rosemary, coarse salt, and freshly-ground black pepper. Dimple all over with your fingers (this is the fun part!). Bake 15-20 minutes, depending on how large the focaccia is and how brown you like it. Just keep an eye on it and take it out when it looks perfect. Enjoy!



I will post more things that I baked today in the next few days.

1 comment:

Mags @ the Other Side of 50 said...

Arrived here via Tastestopping. I think your focaccia is lovely.