I can’t believe that it has taken me 32 years to make focaccia bread. Whenever it has been served, I have completely devoured it, and I have always wanted seconds. Okay, fine… seconds and thirds.

The fact that I haven’t made it yet is probably due to my assumption that certain recipes were out of my skill set. I am trying my best to change this way of thinking. One of the ways that I’m doing this, is to just make the recipe. Am I preparing the meal for Gordon Ramsay to judge? No. It’s okay if there is a learning curve! Even if it doesn’t taste good, or it fails in every way imaginable, at least I tried.

Luckily, in the end, this easy focaccia bread by Inspired Taste turned out quite well. From the thyme to the honey, it was neat to be able to taste every single ingredient. I also appreciate the fact that whole wheat flour is used. It makes me feel less guilty for eating bread.

The two things that I would do differently next time, are one, add just a tiny bit more salt. While I’m trying to limit the amount of sodium in my diet, I think that I can make an exception for this recipe. And, two, use more cloves of garlic and rosemary. I love garlic; what can I say?

Easy Focaccia Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 cup (235 ml) warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, or yeast replacement*

1/4 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

2 1/2 cups (325 grams) of all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

Make Dough

In a cold medium skillet, combine olive oil, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes or until aromatic, but before the garlic browns. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir a few times then let sit for 5 minutes.

Add 1 cup of flour and a 1/4 cup of infused garlic-olive oil mixture to the bowl of yeast and honey. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour has moistened. Let sit for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1 ½ cups of flour and salt. When the dough comes together, transfer it to a floured board and knead 10 to 15 times until smooth. Since I am quite new to this, it took me awhile to knead it until it met my expectations of “smooth”. Luckily, I found this process to be quite therapeutic.

Once smooth, transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl. Cover it with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour. It’s best to let the dough rise in a warmer area of your kitchen. Seeing as our apartment’s kitchen is cozily small, I placed it in the cupboard that has our kitchen’s radiator.

Bake The Bread

After 1 hour, use two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil a 9×13 rimmed baking sheet.

Transfer the dough to the baking sheet then press it down into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough then drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic olive oil mixture. I found that my dough was already quite saturated with oil. Therefore, I dimpled it and then used a basting brush to lightly spread the garlic olive oil mixture on every inch of the dough.

Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it becomes slightly puffy. During this time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake until golden brown, around 15 to 20 minutes. I had been worried about it possibly burning, but thankfully, there was no cause for concern.

Remove the baked focaccia bread and cool it on a wire rack. When ready, cut it into segments and serve. If you need some ideas of what to serve alongside it, here are a few options.

Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Or, it can be kept in the freezer for about a month.

Enjoy!

*Note: As I did research before making this, I came across a point that I think is important to mention. If you (or someone who will be present while making this recipe) are in a recovery program and have not handled yeast while sober, consider using a yeast replacement. The odor of the yeast is not only quite recognizable, but it may also act as a “trigger” seeing as it is used in hops. Better to be considerate and safe, rather than sorry!

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