Herb Foccaccia Recipes

HERB FOCACCIA BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the contents of the roll mix and yeast packets. Stir in the warm water, egg and 2 tablespoons oil; beat for 2 minutes or until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to grease top. Let rest for 5 minutes., Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12-in. circle. Transfer to two 12-in. pizza pans coated with cooking spray. Using fingertips, make indentations 1 in. apart on dough; cover. , In a small skillet, saute the onion, rosemary and thyme in the remaining oil for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Spread evenly on dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Bake at 375° for 14-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks.

ONION-HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• On a floured surface, roll out 1 pound refrigerated pizza dough into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle; press into an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Mix 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary and/or oregano, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and a big pinch of sea salt. Brush half of the herb oil over the dough, then set aside until puffy, about 1 hour. Make dimples in the dough with your fingers and top with thin onion slices and shaved parmesan. Bake at 400 until golden, about 20 minutes. Brush with the remaining herb oil.

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.

FOCACCIA WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast and sugar into 1/2 cup of the water - do not stir.
• Let stand 10 minutes or until the surface becomes bubbly.
• In large bowl, combine flour and table salt.
• Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in yeast mixture and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Stir with wooden spoon or electric mixer, and slowly add remaining 1/4 cup water - dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
• Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, adding small spoonfuls of flour if necessary.
• If you are using a stand mixer, you may continue using the dough hook setting rather than turning out on the board as mentioned in step 6.
• When dough is smooth and elastic, place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth.
• Let rise in a warm place- about 80-85 degrees - until doubled in bulk, for 1 hour.
• Turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently several times.
• Flatten into 10-inch circle. Place on an oiled baking stone, pizza pan or heavy cookie sheet (I use a large cast iron skillet). Press indentations into the surface of the dough with fingers to make "dimples." Loosely cover and let rise about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 425°F.
• In a blender or mortar and pestle, combine remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil and herbs until leaves are broken up and oil is fragrant.
• Pour over dough. Rub gently into surface. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
• Bake 15 minutes, reduce heat to 400°F.
• Bake 5 minutes more, or until golden brown.
• Let cool and cut into wedges.

FOCACCIA BIANCA WITH HERB OIL

Steps:

• Five hours before baking the focaccia, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and oil the bottom and interior sides with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Begin panning and dimpling the White Master Dough, at 20-minute intervals, dipping your fingers in olive oil to keep them from sticking to the dough as you work. After three to four rounds of dimpling and resting, the dough will have relaxed enough to cover the whole pan. At this point, rub the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil over the dough and cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap. Then allow 3 hours for the final rise.
• When the dough reaches the rim of the pan (or doubled in size), position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F (425 degrees F for convection). Carefully peel off the plastic wrap, drizzle the dough with 2 tablespoons herbed olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 cups Parmesan or Romano cheese. Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Transfer the focaccia to a cutting board and let rest 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 8 minutes. Then rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake 9 to 12 minutes longer, or until the top and the undercrust are golden brown. If using cheese, remove the pan from the oven when the focaccia looks done and sprinkle it with the cheese. Return the pan to the oven for 2 minutes and then remove it.
• Transfer the baked focaccia to the stovetop or to a heatproof counter. Using an offset spatula or bench blade, carefully slide it around the edge, between the crust and the side of the pan, and then lift the focaccia out of the pan and slide it onto a cutting board. Drizzle any oil remaining in the baking pan over the focaccia. If the parchment paper or baking mat is still clinging to the focaccia, remove it. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into 3- or 4-inch squares and serve.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and yeast. Add all of the water and mix on slow speed for 30 seconds or stir with a large spoon to form a coarse, shaggy dough. Add the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, increase the speed to medium (or continue mixing with the spoon or with wet hands), and mix for another 30 to 60 seconds to make a wet, coarse, sticky dough. It may seem too wet to form a cohesive dough at this stage. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate.
• Increase the mixer speed to medium-high (or continue mixing by hand) and mix for another 30 to 60 seconds to make a smooth, sticky dough. It should be soft, supple and sticky to the touch, and offer a little resistance when pressed with a wet finger.
• Use 1 teaspoon of the extra oil to make a 15-inch-diameter oil slick on the work surface. Rub some oil on a plastic bowl scraper and on your hands and use the scraper to transfer the dough to the oil slick. Stretch and fold the dough. Cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold (rub more oil on the work surface as needed), cover the dough, and let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Then repeat the stretch and fold, cover with the bowl, and again let it rest for 2 to 5 minutes. Perform a fourth and final stretch and fold to make a smooth ball of dough. The dough will have firmed up after each stretch and fold and will now be soft, smooth, supple, and somewhat sticky but firm enough to hold together when lifted. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 to 72 hours.
• In a bowl, whisk together the oil, basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic and pepper flakes and paprika (if using), gradually adding the salt and whisking the oil to bring the salt to the surface before tasting. Store in the refrigerator in a container with a lid, where it will keep for at least 6 months. Makes 1 cup.

HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Lightly grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray. In medium bowl, stir together water, yeast, Bisquick mix, oregano, 1/4 cup of the onion and 3 teaspoons of the oil (dough will be soft).
• Sprinkle work surface with Bisquick mix. Place dough on surface; roll to coat. Knead gently about 20 times, adding a small amount of Bisquick mix if dough sticks to surface, until smooth.
• Pat dough on cookie sheet into 10-inch round. Sprinkle remaining onion over dough. Brush remaining teaspoon oil over onion and dough. Cover; let rise in warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Bake 14 to 17 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Serve warm or cool.

HERB FOCCACCIA

Steps:

• Combine the yeast with a quarter cup of the water. Cover and leave until doubled in volume. If the mixture does not rise, throw it away and use a fresh package of yeast.
• By hand: Combine the flour and salt and place the mixture on a smooth work surface. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, two tablespoons olive oil and remaining water. Gradually work the flour into the liquid, using a wooden spoon. When the dough is too stiff to work with the spoon, knead until smooth and shiny, about eight to 10 minutes. Add more flour if the dough gets too sticky.
• In a food processor: Fit the bowl with a steel blade and put the flour, salt, olive oil, yeast mixture and remaining water into the bowl. Process until the dough forms a smooth ball, about 20 seconds. Place the dough on a smooth surface and knead for a couple of minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky.
• Put the dough in an oiled mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour in a warm place until doubled in size. Punch down and knead into a smooth ball. Let rise again for one more hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Knead the herbs into the dough. Press the dough out onto a floured pizza pan (9-by-12-inch rectangular or 15-inch circular) and let rise for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle with remaining two tablespoons olive oil and salt and bake for 30 minutes, or until the crust is golden.

TOMATO-HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1 tablespoon oil, salt, sugar, garlic powder, herbs, pepper and 1-1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into a 13-in. x 9-in. rectangle; place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. With fingertips, make several dimples over top of dough., Brush dough with remaining oil; arrange tomatoes over the top. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Freeze option: Freeze cooled focaccia squares in freezer containers, separating layers with waxed paper. To use, reheat squares on a baking sheet in a preheated 400° oven until heated through.

FOCACCIA WITH MIXED HERBS

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup warm water and set aside until bubbly about 10-15 minutes.
• In a food processor, combine flour, salt, 1 T. olive oil, and yeast mixture, processing until dough pulls away from the sides to form a ball.
• Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Place a little olive oil in a bowl, place dough in the bowl, give it a twist, turn the ball over to coat the other side, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled.
• Punch dough down. Transfer to a floured surface and stretch dough to fit a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 inch pan. Lightly grease the pan, transfer dough to the pan, and stretch as needed to fit. Using your fingertips make "dimples" across the top of the dough.
• Brush remaining olive oil over the top of the dough, sprinkle with desired amount of each herb, a few crushed red pepper flakes, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Allow to rise uncovered for 30 minutes.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
• Cut as desired.

HERB OIL FOCACCIA

Steps:

• First make the starter dough - mix the yeast with 100ml hand-hot water in a small bowl. Leave for 5 mins until bubbling. Add the flour to a large bowl, and pour in the yeast mix and another 250ml hand-hot water. Beat vigorously with your hand for a few mins. (The dough will be really wet but don't worry, you'll be adding more flour later.) Scrape all the dough from your hands and the sides of the bowl. Cover tightly with cling film and leave to ferment in the fridge for at least 12 hrs, overnight if possible.
• Meanwhile, make the herb oil. Set aside 2-3 sprigs each of rosemary and thyme, plus a few bay leaves. Bash the rest using a pestle and mortar (or use a rolling pin) to release the flavours, then stuff into a large sterilised bottle or Kilner jar, or a few jam jars (see tip, right). Heat the oil in a saucepan until just warm, then carefully pour into the bottle using a funnel. Leave to cool before securing with a lid.
• Take the starter dough out of the fridge about 1 hr before you want to make your focaccia - it should have risen considerably. To finish the dough, mix in the additional flour, the sea salt and herb oil until it's soft yet slightly sticky. Knead the dough with extra oil for 5 mins until smooth and springy. Return to a clean, warm bowl and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hr.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Turn the risen dough onto a deep oiled baking tray (about 20 x 30cm) and press to a rectangle about 2cm thick. Break the reserved herbs into smaller bits and push them into the dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size.
• Once risen, press lots of holes into the dough with your fingers. Brush the top with a little more herb oil and sprinkle over some rough sea salt. Fill a shallow tray with some water and put in the bottom of the oven, with the bread on a shelf above. Bake for 25 mins until golden, reducing the temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 if the bread starts to brown too much. Remove from the oven, scatter over the reserved herbs and bake for another 10-15 mins until cooked through. Cool on a wire rack until ready to eat. Tear into chunks and dip in more herb oil, if you like.

GRILLED HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Combine the yeast, water and sugar in a bowl, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy. Stir in the oil and 3 cups of the flour. Knead the dough by hand for 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic, or use a food processor or a mixer fitted with a dough hook. If necessary, add more flour; the dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, brush the top with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
• Punch the dough down, and form it into a long 2-inch-thick roll. Cut the roll into 2-inch pieces. Form each piece into a ball, and keep covered with a damp dish towel. Roll out each ball as thinly as possible to make a flat bread 6 to 8 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick. Lightly dust each round with flour, and stack, separated by pieces of wax paper.
• Heat the grill until it is medium-hot. Mince the garlic, and combine with the herbs in a small bowl. Combine the cracked peppercorns and salt in another small bowl. Lightly brush each round with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs and the salt mixture, and place, oiled side down, on the grill. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, or until slightly puffed and blistered. Lightly brush the top with oil, and sprinkle on more herbs and the salt mixture. Turn the focaccia, and cook another 30 seconds or until lightly browned. Cook all the dough the same way.
• Just before serving, sprinkle each focaccia with a few more herbs and the salt mixture.

HERB AND ONION FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Get Cookin'
• 1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
• 2. Unroll the pizza dough as directed on the package onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle half of the herbs on the dough and fold the dough in half lengthwise.
• 3. Brush the top with olive oil and evenly distribute the remaining herbs, onion, and cheese.
• 4. Salt and pepper to taste.
• 5. Bake for 15 minutes until the foccacia is golden brown and crispy.
• 6. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve sliced.
• Hints and Clues
• You can use a pizza stone or pizza pan if you have one. Make sure the pan is heated in the oven thirty minutes before you put the dough on it.