Homemade Tomato & Herb Focaccia
Is there anything better than delicious, warm, freshly baked bread?! The answer to that is NOPE. Baking homemade bread is often intimidating but I promise you it’s so much easier than you’d expect! This delicious focaccia recipe is topped with extra flavor that will make you fall in love! Don’t believe me? Give it a try.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 (.25oz package) teaspoon active-dry yeast
1 1/3 cup warm water
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 springs rosemary
5 basil leaves, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
Tomatoes (I like using heirloom tomatoes of all different shapes, colors, and sizes!)
Salt
Instructions
In a bowl add the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Give it a good stir and let it sit for 7-10 minutes. You want the yeast to start bubbling slightly
To the bowl add in the all purpose flour, salt, and olive oil. Stir until mixed together
Pour the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for about 5 minutes, using more flour if it gets sticky. Alternatively, if you are using a stand mixer with a dough hook, knead the ingredients in the bowl for 5 minutes on low
Use your hands to form the dough into a ball. In a clean large bowl add a few tablespoons of olive oil to coat the bottom and the sides. Add the dough into the oiled bowl and turn it over in the oil to coat it as well
Cover with a towel and put in a warm space (either by a window or a warm over) to let rise for 1 hour. It should be double in size
After an hour punch the dough down, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, and prepare your large sheet tray by brushing it with olive oil
Add the dough to the sheet tray and use your hands to press it down until it is around 1/2 inch thick. Mine almost covered the whole sheet tray
Cover the sheet tray with the towel again and put back into the warm area to let rise another 20 minutes
After 20 minutes poke holes with your fingers all over the top and brush the top with olive oil. Arrange sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, sliced basil, rosemary leaves, and a good sprinkle of salt all over the top
Put into the preheated oven to bake for 20 minutes, until the top is a slight golden brown and cooked through. If after 20 minutes of cooking the top hasn’t browned up as much as you’d like, turn on the broiler and watch VERY CAREFULLY until it toasts the top a beautiful golden brown of your liking
Take out, let cool slightly, and DEVOUR!! Best bread ever.
