Rosemary Focaccia Bread

This recipe is one I made in that pumpkin cooking class- but instead of topping this with pumpkin, I just used fresh rosemary and dried oregano, like in Cooking with Lucas's original recipe here.  You can use that recipe link and do the pumpkin one too; just top with thinly sliced pumpkin/squash and fresh onions.  (And dried oregano too, I think.)  When I made this at home it was delicious, but not as airy and fluffy as when we made it in the class.  I used dried yeast and he uses fresh, I'll have to try that and see if it helps.

Rosemary Focaccia Bread
adapted from Cooking with Lucas

2 cups of bread flour
1 cup of warm water
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 table spoon of sugar
1/2 table spoon of fine salt
1 table spoon of rock salt (or to taste- I used less)
1 tablet of fresh yeast (or one satchel of dry yeast- 2 1/4 teaspoons)
Fresh Rosemary
Oregano (can use dried)
Pepper

1.  In a big bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast with the sugar. Simply by moving it around with a fork and mixing a bit, the fresh yeast will turn to liquid. If you're using dry yeast, it will dissolve in the water ... add the warm water (and the sugar).

2.  Sift 1&1/2 cups of flour into the bowl.  With a strong wooden spoon, mix the water into the flour. Add the salt and mix with the spoon for about 1-2 minutes.

3.  Add the another 1/2 cup of flour and knead the focaccia dough for about 3 minutes, mixing very well, right in the bowl. (The dough will be very sticky- don't add more flour!)  Pour the 1/3 cup olive oil over the dough in the bowl.  Using your hands, squeeze the olive oil into the dough for about a minute. Simply mix with your hands...there will be extra oil a the bottom of the bowl (you will later pour this on the top of the dough).

4.  Take the dough, and put the dough in a baking sheet.  You can also use parchment if you want.  I prefer this without.  Press the dough into the baking sheet.  When the dough is spread out, make little holes with your fingers (this is what they do in Genova!). Add the rest of the olive oil on the top of this, the oil will pool and fill the small holes you made with your fingers. Add the rock salt on the top, the rosemary, the oregano and the pepper.

5.  Let the focaccia rise for about two hours in a warm place.  Bake at 350F/180C for about 20 minutes. Keep your eye on the bread so it doesn't over bake. Enjoy!!

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