Hello friends! I’m back! Now that I have finally gotten used to being a working mom again and I feel like I’ve somewhat caught up on life, I’m ready to dedicate more time to this little project that is almost one year old! I came to the realization that I should probably finish this blog post yesterday, when I made this delicious bread for dinner.
Weekend vibes, weeknight effort
Some people don’t believe that it’s possible to make fresh, homemade bread during the week, but it really is! If you have an hour before dinner is being served, you can pull this off. If you have more than an hour, let it rise as long as you can. Either way, this foccacia is soft, chewy and flavourful.
I love using my stand mixer and dough hook for this, because it basically does all the work for me. If you don’t have one, no worries. A bowl and wooden spoon will suffice.
You can even have it for breakfast!
This bread is delicious as an appetizer with bruschetta mix or on it’s own with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. I also love dipping it in my Three-Herb Pesto. I usually make it as a side with a soup or a pasta dish with this Easy Alfredo Sauce . I also love toasting up the leftovers for breakfast and dipping them in over-easy, runny egg yolk.
The kids love watching the yeast multiply when we’re making this, so if you have some curious kitchen helpers, it’s an easy way to keep them occupied while you get dinner together.
I like stuffing the dough with small slivers of fresh garlic, because it roasts up nicely when it’s coated in the olive oil and makes little flavour pockets in the bread.
My mom bakes hers in a cast-iron pan (pictured here) but a regular square or round cake pan will do.
The topping combinations are endless!
There are so many different toppings you can use:
- Herbs and spices (I like basil, oregano and rosemary)
- Salt & pepper
- Chili flakes
- Olives
- Sundried tomatoes
- Jalapenos
- Shredded cheese (I only use about 1/3 to 1/2 cup, so that the cheese gets crispy.)
Here are a few combinations to try:
- Rosemary & garlic
- Garlic, basil, marjoram, thyme and coarse sea salt
- Jalapeno & cheddar
- Garlic, basil, oregano and mozzarella
- Sundried tomato, oregano, parmesan
- Black olive, garlic and oregano
Any way you top it, you’re sure to love this!
Easy weeknight foccacia bread
A quick and easy foccacia bread that cooks up in under an hour, from start to finish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp quick-rise yeast
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (You can use up to 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour without compromising the texture of the bread)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 4 cloves garlic sliced into slivers
- herbs and spices of your choice oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, thyme
- salt & pepper
- assorted toppings sundried tomatoes, olives, jalapeno
- 1/3 cup shredded cheese mozzarella, parmesan, asiago
Instructions
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, honey and yeast and let sit five minutes, until the yeast starts to multiply.
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Add flour, salt and olive oil. Using the dough hook, combine ingredients until a ball forms and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
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Remove the ball and knead by hand for two minutes, just to form a smooth ball.
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Lightly coat the ball in oil and let rest in the bowl, covered with a towel, for approximately 15 minutes. (If you have more time, you can let it rest longer, this recipe is very flexible!)
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Preheat oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Generously oil an 8 x 8 pan and spread out the dough in the pan, making divots with your fingertips.
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Brush the top of the dough with olive oil, and poke the garlic cloves throughout.
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Sprinkle with herbs, salt & pepper and cheese, cover with plastic wrap or a clean, dry towel and let rest another 15 minutes. Again, if you have more time, you can let it rest up to two hours longer.
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Bake at 415 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Let rest in pan for 5 minutes, before slicing into 9 or 12 squares.