I know, I’ve been mighty quiet for a while. Life got the better of me: a squeezed-in last-minute vacation, the renter moving out of our Wine Country condo and leaving all the carpet destroyed, visitors from out of town, starting to teach at the university 1.5 hours away (again), and a $4000 plumbing nightmare that is now fixed – apparently long overdue – since 1920 was the last time the city shows a permit being pulled for plumbing work at our address. Ah, well, such is the glorious mix that life and home ownership is made of, no?
I’ve also been taking a break from baking so much, as we’ve tried to use up the bread I’ve been stashing in the freezer. And then there were the heat waves that made it sheer idiocy to turn on an oven in our non-air-conditioned house. There was only one type of bread that I managed to make during all this time, and it was focaccia for the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge.
Never having made focaccia before (and rarely eating it), I had no idea what to expect. But like most of Peter Reinhart’s breads, it went together without a hitch. Well, almost, anyway! The hardest part for me was getting the dough to spread out evenly in the 17 x 12 inch pan, as you can clearly see below. And, yes, that’s a lot of olive oil! Focaccia is definitely not a lean bread.
However, after 2 days in the refrigerator, the dough had filled the pan nicely.
Peter gives many options for making focaccia, including a pizza-style focaccia. I wanted to know what the recipe tasted like at its simplest, so I used only herb oil and coarse sea salt to make mine. It was superb. In fact, my favorite part was making the herb oil, since I just went into the backyard and cut off rosemary, basil, thyme, and oregano, and added it to some warmed olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, and a pinch of cayenne. Don’t ask me why, but I had never made herb oil before (a shame with all the herbs I grow) – it was so much more freshly-intense than any I had ever tasted.
The focaccia was chewy, salty, rich, and tender, all at the same time. It froze well, and made enough for many meals. Since the recipe makes a large amount, it’s gorgeously golden on the table, and the dough can mature in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking, it makes an ideal party bread – something to keep in mind as we shift to the indoor gatherings of fall. You can find the recipe in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: friedaluvsbread
September 13, 2009 at 12:51 am
Twitter: @friedaluvsbread
Great idea to freeze the focaccia~ I made a half batch, which suits my 3 person family. The herb oil was definitely a winner, though I have discovered that I prefer to put my dough straight onto the parchment and just put herb oil on the top.
Congrats on joining the BBA…found you on Twitter.
Welcome back to the challenge. Sounds like you’ve had quite a summer. Your foccacia looks wonderful. Sometimes simple is best.
I like your idea – will have to try that next time!
Thanks! I needed a little break, that’s for sure. But now I’m playing catch-up!
Twitter: misterrios
September 23, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Twitter: @misterrios
I love the great light golden color of your Foccacia. Plus having a herb garden… I can only imagine the taste of this was through the roof. Makes me wish we could somehow sample each others’ breads instead of just salivating over amaziing photos.
Yes, I’ve often wished we could do taste comparisons. And maybe someday, some of us will meet up and have a bake-a-thon. It could happen, right?
I made this bread the other night for a dinner party and it was a great hit! Very easy to make and good way to introduce..