Herbed Focaccia I am as scared of baking as most. A friend wanted to see how much yeast rises after 15 minutes, as hers hadnt very well. And to show her, I put yeast to prove, and did it PROVE?! So now I had fully bloomed yeast, but no clue about where I would use it. I searched the net for focaccia, found so many recipes, that I was left with more confusion than before. I picked out a few that sounded similar, easy and needed few, basic ingredients. I studied them, understood what it was all about and the procedure. Based on those recipes, I worked out a recipe that would meet my needs. Herbed Focaccia 2 c All purpose flour (maida) 1 1/2 tbsp sugar 1 1/2 tsp salt (do taste and adjust) 4-6 tbsp Olive oil (will be used as 2 - 1 - 2) 50 ml water for proving 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp Oregano 1 sachet (10 gm) Instant Yeast (I measured and it is 2 levelled tbsp) 150 ml milk (you may have to increase or decrease the qty) 1. Empty yeast in a medium size bowl. Mix sugar in it. Heat water in microwave oven on high for 12 seconds. Add to the bowl and mix well. Cover and let it prove. In 15- 25 minutes it will have frothed. * If it doesnt bloom, try giving it 5 sec in the micro, repeat, and then throw 2. > In a big bowl, mix flour, salt, garlic powder, oregano and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix once and add yeast mixture, fold in the flour. Add warm milk to form a ball. After about 100 ml, add little at a time. We are looking for a slightly looser consistency than paratha. 3. Knead the dough well with your palms, turning from inside to outside, top to bottom, till it becomes nice, soft and smooth. (It took me around 10-12 mins) 4. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on and around the dough, coat it and also the inside of the bowl, very well. Take more oil if required. Flatten it slightly and just get an idea how much the flour looks. (you will need to gauge whether it has doubled or not) I inserted my index finger and measured against the cuts. 5. Cover with a damp cloth (I dampened a clean kitchen towel, gave it 20 sec in the MV and covered) 6. Let it rest for 30-45-60 mins (depending on the weather), or till it rises to double the volume of its original size. 7. Preheat oven at 225 C 8. Deflate the dough gently, sprinkle some dough to make it manageable, and knead it to bring it all in a nice smooth ball. 9. Pat or roll into a rectangle, or any shape. Need not be perfect. Place it on a greased and dusted baking sheet/tray. Make dimples (indentations) with your fingers on the surface. Sprinkle some sea salt (I used normal). Drizzle the remaining oil. You may add the desired toppings at this stage. 10. Reduce temperature to 200 C. Bake for 14 - 20 minutes (depending on the kind of crust you want) on the middle rack. Once done, leave it in the oven for 3-4 minutes, and then lightly slip it off onto a grill. Suggested toppings: Onions, capsicum, olives, sausages, mortadella, in fact whatever takes your fancy. While reading up, I found a very interesting /helpful thing. You can refrigerate, and also freeze the prepared dough, to use at a later date. For doing that, you work till 6th step. For fridge : Wrap the deflated dough in cling film, put in an air tight jar and refrigerate. To use, remove 30 minutes before you want to bake. And then follow from 7th step. For freezer : Same, till 6th step. Then pack in a ziplock bag, put in a container and store in the freezer. To use, bring it down in the fridge for about 8 hrs. And then proceed as above. Hope this helps, if not in getting THE PERFECT bread, then in building your confidence. DISCLAIMER: Its just the first time I have tried it, and though it was 80% successful, I do not take responsibility. If you try, and fail, its your yeast, flour,kneading, the oven or YOU :)
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 22:02:39 +0000
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