Olives & Rosemary Focaccia

 I am a very reluctant bread maker. To hop, skip & run to the market for a fresh loaf appeals to me more than the agonizing time spent in waiting for the bread to prove & bake :P . A bread-baking newbie the walls of hesitation are strong, but the many tantalizing loaves of fellow bloggers are pushing me towards breaking them- and there is good news, I am slowly enjoying the many joys of a freshly minted home loaf !! Now take this focaccia for instance- there are so many posts on this bread with various combination of herbs & spices & toppings on the net ! The pictures of the various bookmarked recipes finally pushed me in to bringing this wonderful & delicious bread to my hearth.

Focaccia is an Italian oven-baked  flat bread.It's much like a poor man's pizza and can be made either sweet or savory. The bread is dented/punctured on the surface(to relieve bubbling over) just before baking and that gives it a distinct flat-bread look !! The best thing about this bread is it can be customized to what your taste buds crave for at that moment ;also it does not require much sweating and generally can not go wrong. I recommend it to any novice bread maker to give this a try and get over the initial fear of making breads ! That said, I was totally anxious the whole time,, I heaved a sigh of relief only after the first bite of the crunchy yet moist n fluffy piece of delight !

The recipe is courtesy a whole lot of blog-hopping & in particular The Purple Foodie ! The bread was well loved and enjoyed with & without a variety of accompaniments ! This bread will sure make many more appearances in my kitchen !!


What's in the bread :-

• All Purpose Flour -  250 gms
• Active Dry Yeast - 7 grams
• Olive Oil - 40 to 50 ml
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Warm water - 125 to 150 ml- as required
• Olives (Black & Green) - 1/2 cup - roughly chopped
• Dried Rosemary  & Oregano - generous sprinkles

Here's How:-

Activating the dry yeast was the first step. Refer the pack for instructions  - I mixed little warm milk & sugar to get it frothy.

Now in a bowl, add the flour, salt, oil (retain a little for brushing over the dough later & for oiling the bread tin) & the warm water little by little(as required) and blend it to a sticky dough. 

Work on the dough for a good 10-15 minutes to achieve a nice elastic consistency.

Return the dough to a well-oiled bowl, keep it covered and allow it rise. Let it rest for a minimum hour or two.

Once the dough has risen, return it to a dusted surface and blend in the chopped olives and knead again for 5 more minutes.

Transfer the dough to the greased baking tin and spread the dough to the size of the tin/tray (with hands) ! Let it rest again for 10-15 minutes covered.

Now  dent/poke/dimple the dough with your finger tips gently and brush it with a coat of olive oil & sprinkle the dried rosemary & oregano generously.

In a preheated oven bake @ 220 C for 30 minutes or till it is golden brown.

Serve warm ! You can also store it in air-tight container once it is cooled completely !

Enjoy !

Linking it to Kankana's Hearth &Soul Blog Hop #51