Focaccia bread is an Italian flat bread enhanced with herbs, cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and / or olives. It makes a nice appetizer and can be used to make sandwiches. It starts with a very basic dough that can be used for a pizza crust, but, after a slightly different preparation and added toppings, it becomes focaccia bread.

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You have some flexibility when making focaccia bread to suit your personal taste for toppings. You can load it up with everything or make a very spare version with only a bit of cheese and herbs.

Bread dough ingredients:

1-1/3 cups hot water
1 package or 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
3-1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon sugar

Toppings:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons grated cheese (Parmesan, Asiago, or Romano)
1 teaspoon dried herbs (your choice of rosemary, basil, oregano, dill, or thyme) If you use fresh herbs, use 2 teaspoons
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Sliced sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and/or caramelized onions

To prepare the bread dough, dissolve the yeast in the hot water and let it set for 5 minutes. Then in a large bowl, add all the other ingredients listed under bread dough. Stir up until a stiff sticky dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and no longer sticky.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into 1/2-inch thick rounds. Place the rounds into oiled cake pans. Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place for about 1-1/2 hours.

After the dough has risen, heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Press down the dough in the pans with your fingertips to make indentations all over. Drizzle the dough with the 1/2 cup olive oil. Now add your chosen toppings.

Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown. Take the focaccia out of the pans to cool. You can serve the bread warm or let it cool all the way. To use the focaccia for sandwiches, slice the flat bread horizontally.

To read more about baking your own bread, dip your toes into the Recipe River and visit the bread recipes section. http://recipes.falbepublishing.com/bread_recipes.html

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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