Focaccia Bread
Nutritional Info
- Servings Per Recipe: 20
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 98.7
- Total Fat: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0.2 mg
- Sodium: 122.2 mg
- Total Carbs: 17.1 g
- Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
View full nutritional breakdown of Focaccia Bread calories by ingredient
Introduction
Bring these to your next potluck. Trust me. Bring these to your next potluck. Trust me.Number of Servings: 20
Ingredients
-
1/2 cup warm (not hot) water
1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup warm (not hot) skim milk
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 or 2 small garlic cloves, finely minced
Directions
In a bowl, place the water, then sprinkle the yeast and sugar on Stir and set aside for 10 minutes.
In an electric mixer with a dough hook (or in a bowl with a wooden spoon), mix the milk and oil with the yeast mixture. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt, garlic and rosemary. Mix at low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will be sticky but should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it doesn't pull away, add a touch more water.
Turn the machine to medium high and let the dough knead for minutes (or do this by hand).
Put the dough into a large mixing bowl. Cover with a clean towel and set in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size. (You can store the dough, covered, in a container and refrigerate overnight.)
Roll out the dough on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Make a thick rectangle about 10 inches long. Use your fingers to stretch the dough, working from the center out, to form the rectangle about 12 inches long and 8 inches across.
Set the oven at 450 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and the bread sounds hollow when tapped with your knuckles on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into 20 squares. Each piece is a serving.
Variations
This is a good basic bread recipe, after all, so you can do a lot with it.
Savory
Italian
Try adding a more or less even mix of basil and oregano instead of rosemary, 1 teaspoon of garlic and a can of crushed or diced low salt tomatoes. Do not add as much water (you can use the liquid from the can instead of the water to activate the yeast. Make sure to take the added salt into consideration.
Mexican
This variation is a lot more crumbly and is better eaten with a spoon. Instead of 3 1/2 cups of flour, go with 1 1/2 cups of flour and 2 cups of corn meal. Instead of rosemary and garlic, add a cup or 2 of cooked corn and a quarter cup (a few stalks' worth) of thinly sliced scallions. A few chopped tomatoes or tomatillos can also be added, but subtract some liquid if you do so as either one will give off liquid. Add a dash of cayenne or powdered chipotle pepper. Rough chop cilantro and add to the top before baking. Make sure to take the added calories into account.
Sweet
Chocolate
Instead of garlic and rosemary, add half of a large chocolate bar. I like bittersweet best. You can rough chop it with a knife. Add a cup of roughly chopped walnuts and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Instead of olive oil, use canola or another kind of lightly flavored oil. If you have walnut oil, drizzle a little on the top before baking. Be sure to only add a pinch of salt. As usual, take the added fat and calories into account.
Rainbow
It's red, yellow and blue, so it's a rainbow! Instead of garlic and rosemary, add a half cup each of yellow raisins, roughly chopped strawberries or raspberries, and blueberries. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and only add a pinch of salt. Instead of olive oil, use canola or another kind of lightly flavored oil. Make it Patriotic by substituting white chocolate for yellow raisins. Adjust fat, calorie and carb contents accordingly.
Number of Servings: 20
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JESPAH.
In an electric mixer with a dough hook (or in a bowl with a wooden spoon), mix the milk and oil with the yeast mixture. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt, garlic and rosemary. Mix at low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will be sticky but should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it doesn't pull away, add a touch more water.
Turn the machine to medium high and let the dough knead for minutes (or do this by hand).
Put the dough into a large mixing bowl. Cover with a clean towel and set in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size. (You can store the dough, covered, in a container and refrigerate overnight.)
Roll out the dough on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Make a thick rectangle about 10 inches long. Use your fingers to stretch the dough, working from the center out, to form the rectangle about 12 inches long and 8 inches across.
Set the oven at 450 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and the bread sounds hollow when tapped with your knuckles on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cut into 20 squares. Each piece is a serving.
Variations
This is a good basic bread recipe, after all, so you can do a lot with it.
Savory
Italian
Try adding a more or less even mix of basil and oregano instead of rosemary, 1 teaspoon of garlic and a can of crushed or diced low salt tomatoes. Do not add as much water (you can use the liquid from the can instead of the water to activate the yeast. Make sure to take the added salt into consideration.
Mexican
This variation is a lot more crumbly and is better eaten with a spoon. Instead of 3 1/2 cups of flour, go with 1 1/2 cups of flour and 2 cups of corn meal. Instead of rosemary and garlic, add a cup or 2 of cooked corn and a quarter cup (a few stalks' worth) of thinly sliced scallions. A few chopped tomatoes or tomatillos can also be added, but subtract some liquid if you do so as either one will give off liquid. Add a dash of cayenne or powdered chipotle pepper. Rough chop cilantro and add to the top before baking. Make sure to take the added calories into account.
Sweet
Chocolate
Instead of garlic and rosemary, add half of a large chocolate bar. I like bittersweet best. You can rough chop it with a knife. Add a cup of roughly chopped walnuts and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Instead of olive oil, use canola or another kind of lightly flavored oil. If you have walnut oil, drizzle a little on the top before baking. Be sure to only add a pinch of salt. As usual, take the added fat and calories into account.
Rainbow
It's red, yellow and blue, so it's a rainbow! Instead of garlic and rosemary, add a half cup each of yellow raisins, roughly chopped strawberries or raspberries, and blueberries. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and only add a pinch of salt. Instead of olive oil, use canola or another kind of lightly flavored oil. Make it Patriotic by substituting white chocolate for yellow raisins. Adjust fat, calorie and carb contents accordingly.
Number of Servings: 20
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JESPAH.