By Carmel Karni — See the recipe
Quick Focaccia
This recipe is not-quite a focaccia, but a shortcut for when you really want fresh bread and are short on time. 3 minutes of work and about 1.5 hours in total, so as long as you are home early enough, you can get it done for dinner in one afternoon. I don’t weigh the flour for this recipe, but instead go by feel. You want a soft and slightly sticky dough.
The texture is a bit like the crust of a pan pizza- fragrant and crunchy in the corners, soft and warm inside. I make this bread regularly as a side dish for soup in winter or as a vehicle for summer roasted tomatoes along with slivers of sharp cheese or braised spring greens, parmesan and a bit of tomato sauce. There are endless options. They all feel a bit more special than the average dinner and regardless, there's nothing like fresh bread out of the oven.
Quick Focaccia
Ingredients
- 3 to 3.5 cups flour (bread or all purpose)
- 1 pack yeast (2.25 tsp)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 cup warm water
- 2 Tbsp olive oil + more for garnishing
- Fresh rosemary, stems removed, coarsely chopped.
- Sea salt such as maldone (or kosher salt)
Put 3 cups of flour and all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment and mix a couple of times to blend. With the mixer running, add the water and olive oil. Start at low speed and increase to medium. If the dough is too sticky, add flour in heaping tablespoons until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixer bowl but still feels a little sticky. Let the machine run for about 2 minutes. Keep the dough in your mixer bowl, pour a bit of olive oil on the dough to keep it from drying, cover with a wet towel and let rise for about an hour.
After about an hour, oil a 9x13 pan with olive oil somewhat generously (I use a pyrex pan) Pour the risen dough into it. Use the tips of your fingers to tap the dough into the pan’s corners. If it resists, let it sit and relax for 5 minutes. While the dough relaxes, preheat the oven to 375. Create divots with your fingers (little kids might really enjoy this!!) pour some more olive oil on top and sprinkle fresh rosemary and salt. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the top is golden.
