Laurielicious Garlic Herb Focaccia Bread Recipes

GARLIC AND HERB FOCACCIA BREAD

Steps:

• Add warm water to a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the top and allow to dissolve, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the oil, salt, garlic and herbs.
• Add half of the flour and stir with a spoon, about 1 minute. Add the remaining flour and stir to incorporate it together.
• Tip the dough out onto a lightly dusted surface and knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic. The dough will be a little sticky at first, but do not add additional flour.
• Oil another bowl with olive oil and place the dough in and turn it to coat it with oil.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 to 45 minutes in a warm area of the kitchen.
• Line a 10x15-inch pan with parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Gently transfer the rested dough to the pan and stretch the dough until it fills the pan.
• Drizzle the dough with 3 or 4 tablespoons of the garlic herb oil and spread it gently with your fingers while pressing dimples lightly in the dough. Sprinkle the focaccia generously with flaky salt.
• Let the dough rise in the pan, uncovered for 30 minutes until puffed.
• While the bread is rising in the pan, preheat the oven to 400°F
• Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the oven and bake the focaccia for 15 to 18 minutes, until light golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and transfer the focaccia from the pan to a cooling rack, allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
• Serve the garlic herb oil as a dip with warm slices of focaccia bread.

GARLIC ROSEMARY HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Whisk half of the water (1 cup; 240ml), 2 teaspoons sugar, and 2 teaspoons yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining water, olive oil, salt, and 1 cup (130g) flour. Beat on low speed for 20 seconds, then add 3 and 1/2 cups (440g) more flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. If the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add the last 1/2 cup (60g) of flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 4-5 full minutes. The dough can be a little too heavy for a mixer to knead it, but you can certainly use the mixer on low speed instead. If the dough is too sticky as you knead, add more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time. The dough should still feel a little soft, but shouldn't stick your hands. Poke it with your finger - if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading.
• Lightly grease a large bowl with a teaspoon of oil or some nonstick spray- just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours or until double in size. (Tip: For the warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). Turn the oven off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When it's doubled in size, remove from the oven.)
• Generously grease a 12×17 inch baking pan (with at least 1 inch tall sides) with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. This is the base layer of the bread, so be generous with the oil. A pastry brush is helpful to spread it.
• When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Place on the oiled baking pan, then stretch and flatten the dough to fit the pan. Don't tear the dough. If it's shrinking (mine always does), cover it with a clean towel and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before continuing. This lets the gluten settle and it's much easier to shape after that.
• Cover the dough tightly and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. The longer it rests, the better the flavor. I recommend at least 12 hours.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature as you preheat the oven and prepare the toppings. Keep it covered. It may rise a little during this time, but not much.
• Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Allow it to heat for at least 10-15 minutes so every inch of the oven is very hot.
• Whisk the 3 remaining Tablespoons of olive oil with the minced garlic and herbs. Set aside.
• Using your fingers, dimple the dough all over the surface. You can watch me do this in the video above. Drizzle on the olive oil topping and use your hands or a pastry brush to spread it all over the top. Add a little more olive oil if needed so the dough is completely covered. (This creates the crisp crust!) Sprinkle with a little coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake for 20-23 minutes or until lightly browned on top. If desired, broil on high for the last minute to really brown the top.
• Cut and serve hot or let it come to room temperature before slicing and serving. Focaccia tastes wonderful warm or at room temperature. Cover leftover focaccia tightly and store at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. You can also freeze the baked and cooled focaccia for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. To reheat the slices, you can use the microwave or bake in a 300°F (149°C) oven for 5 minutes.

DELICIOUSLY EASY GARLIC HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Place 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, bread flour, white sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and active dry yeast, respectively, in the pan of a bread machine. Select pizza cycle; press Start.
• Combine crushed garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside to let it steep, about 30 minutes.
• Combine Parmesan cheese, parsley, onion powder, and herbes de Provence in another small bowl.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
• Deflate dough and turn out into the baking sheet. Stretch dough gently out to 1/2-inch thickness, using your fingers to make dimples that will hold the toppings.
• Pour garlic and oil mixture onto dough and spread it evenly over the dough and edges with your hands. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle dough with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer from the baking sheet to a rack. Let cool, 5 minutes. Cut into squares with a pizza cutter.