My Cooking Mantra

1. BE A POSITIVE COOK
2. READ THE RECIPE TWICE (but don’t speed read like me  )
3. Google what you don’t understand. Its all there.
4. Measure your ingredients and keep aside first.
5. and again, BE A POSITIVE COOK ( this is most important, many times, we subconsciously decide before its made that it will fail or not, think you will rock it)

RIDICULOUSLY EASY Focaccia bread recipe

This is an easy, homemade Focaccia with rosemary topping. This Focaccia bread recipe is soft, fluffy and great as an appetizer. You can also top with garlic, oregano, olives, sun dried tomatoes or any other ingredient of your choice. You can use olive oil infused with garlic to give this focaccia bread recipe more flavor. 

Follow this link for original recipe:

https://cooks.culinaryformula.site/2019/07/ridiculously-easy-focaccia-bread.html

Focaccia Tips

• I use GLORIPAN yeast. Available on amazon and many bakery stores. When you cream the yeast in a glass, that is add it in tepid water and sugar, let it rise for 10 min, it should then look like cold coffee in a glass. If it hasn’t foamed up, start again, if it doesn’t work then your yeast is bad, the bread won’t rise, ABORT MISSION.

• Start with the oven at 200 deg C. Most Indian ovens heat up to soon. If your oven is like mine, then it will brown too quickly. In one or two tries you will know what works in your oven and what settings.

• You can prepare the dough a night ahead. Place the dough in a large container and cover tightly then refrigerate. The dough will rise slowly while in the fridge. When about to bake the dough, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature first. Knead the dough for a minute, and it will be ready for next rise.
• I make three times the quantity and cling wrap into three individual balls and box it in the fridge and bake fresh focaccia upto 7-8 days. By then it slow ferments and becomes SOUR DOUGH focaccia.

Dips that dance well with Focaccia

• Pan con tomate (spanish tomato toast) this is super easy tomato spread.

https://simpleveganblog.com/pan-con-tomate-spanish-tomato-toast/#tasty-recipes-12176

• Yogurt dip- everyone has their own version of a dahi dip. I keep mine in the fridge for a week like fresh cream cheese and use as a dip or spread.
  • 1 cup hung curd
  • 2 tbsp paneer or fresh chenna
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped onion, capsicum
  • Salt, pepper and oregano to taste
• Basil pesto- most of us hv made this plenty

The many avatars of Focaccia

Avatar 1- Sandwich it

• I make open sandwiches all the time using different combinations of veggies, dips, cheese and layer as follows :
  • Cut focaccia into quarter horizontally and then slice it vertically so it becomes like a toast
  • Smear Pan con Tomate spread on it ( recipe link above)
  • Top with veggies of your choice, heavy ones first eg. Onion, cucumber, bell pepper these can be raw. If you wish to use grilles veggies use mushroom, zucchini, onion, bell pepper.
  • Top with Slice of Paneer, Fried egg, Grilled or smoked chicken
  • Can dot this with Yogurt dip or pesto for more flavour
  • Top with Shredded lettuce, Basil or other leave.
  • You can also add cheese slices on it. I have added brie and toasted this sandwich
  • Can be open or closed sandwich.
  • Drizzle Balsamic glaze on top for a more restaurant-ish feeling 
• You can also make a closed grilled sandwich.
  • Smear dip and veggies and meat of your choice, definitely add cheese that melts and grill on pan, pressing a little so it sticks together.

Avatar 2- Dress to impress

• Cut the focaccia into 1” squares and dress on a wooden cheese board along with small bowls of with olive oil & balsamic vinegar. You can add Olives, cut cubes of cheese, Chilli Garlic paste, any sweet relish (I use Chilli Marmalade) and serve with Wine & apple juice in wine glasses.
• Call it wine and cheese night. Kids love it.

Avatar 3- Strip and toast

• You can also cut it into 1” long strips and serve as an appetiser
• Or cut it into ½ strips and toast it and serve in a glass like bread sticks
• You can serve this with Baked Brie or Yogurt dip

Avatar 4- Make it cheesy

• Just knead 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese (or your favorite cheese) into the dough after it's been through its initial rises, then pat it into the pan. After initial rise sprinkle a bit more feta on top. Bake, and enjoy hot, melty-cheesy focaccia. Oo-la-la!

Avatar 5- Spread into a Pizza base

• Use the same dough to make pizza dough. Bake in a REALLY HOT oven, with Tomato sauce and your fav topping.

Ridiculously Easy Focaccia Bread

https://cooks.culinaryformula.site/2019/07/ridiculously-easy-focaccia-bread.html

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon dry active yeast
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup warm water you may need less

The topping

• Flake sea salt
• 1 tablespoon rosemary fresh or dry
• 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, add the water, sugar, and yeast, mix and then cover for ten minutes. After ten minutes if the mixture formed a froth then go ahead with the next step.
2. In a different bowl, add the flour and the salt, then gradually add the yeast mixture and knead.
3. Knead for 5 minutes, when the dough is smooth and not sticky, add the olive oil and knead for three more minutes. Cover the dough and let it rise in warm place for an hour and a half or until it is double in size.
4. Punch the dough and knead for 1 minute.
5. Pat or roll the dough into a triangle, round, or square shape, place it on a lightly greased baking sheet. Make the dough quarter of an inch high if you want crispy focaccia, or make it ½ an inch high for thicker focaccia bread.
6. Cover the dough and let it rise again for 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 374F/190C.
8. Using your fingers make few dimples on the surface of the dough.
9. Brush the dough with olive oil. Sprinkle with flake sea salt and rosemary.
10. Bake the focaccia bread for 12 to 13 minutes, until it is golden in color and has reached your desired crispness.

Notes

• You can use olive oil infused with garlic to give this focaccia bread recipe more flavor. 
• A great snack can be made using focaccia by toasting it and spreading roasted garlic and parmesan on top.
• You can prepare the dough a night ahead. Place the dough in a large container and cover tightly then refrigerate. The dough will rise slowly while in the fridge. When about to bake the dough, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature first. Knead the dough for a minute, and it will be ready for next rise