For the month of April, Rachael of Pizzarossa and Sawsan of Chef in Disguise (from The Daring Bakers) took us on a trip to Italy. They challenged us to try our hands at making Traditional Focaccia from scratch.
I always loved the focaccia at the late, great Macaroni Grill restaurant and this one was very close to theirs.
This was my first attempt at focaccia and I think it went well. The dough came together nicely and didn’t end up splattered on the wall when I mixed it, so I considered that a success. Here’s the risen dough – you can see the nice specks of dried herbs scattered throughout:
I went fairly strictly by the instructions, although instead of kneading it by hand, I used the Kitchen Aid. It works well that way and I can do other things while it mixes.
I had to add several tablespoons of extra flour while it was mixing, as it was very sticky and wasn’t coming together into a nice dough ball. After rising, the dough was beautiful and patted out nicely onto the parchment paper.
The instructions said to bake at 450 for around 15 minutes and then put under the broiler until it becomes golden brown. Even at 12 minutes, it baked and browned entirely too quickly and didn’t need the broiler.
Maybe it’s my new oven, but next time I’ll turn down the temp to 400 and keep my eye on it. The edges were too dark for our tastes, but as soon as they were cut away, it left a beautiful and very tasty focaccia bread.
Bret made a pot of his famous spaghetti sauce and we enjoyed the bread along with it. We had it the next day with some leftovers and it was still delicious.
Next time I’ll add more and different toppings – some of The Daring Bakers’ variations included potatoes, thinly sliced tomatoes, grilled onions and different kinds of cheeses. We’ll definitely make this again and experiment with baking temperatures and toppings!
A nice version of traditional focaccia! Tips and Stuff Watch the bread carefully after about 10 minutes of baking. It will brown quickly. Best served fresh and warm. If you don't use immediately, I recommend letting it cool, then freeze it until you need it. Nutrition Values are Approximate
Traditional Focaccia
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
When using "wet" toppings, such as potatoes or tomatoes, be sure and dry them very well after slicing so they don't make the dough wetter.Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24
Serving Size: 1 piece
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 74Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 141mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g