Troppo non è abbastanza - Focaccia!!

Omg, the simplest and most tasty bread you can ever hope to eat can be yours for a mere fraction of what you'll pay in a store. I'm speaking of course about homemade Focaccia. Fast and easy enough that you can whip up a batch even if the afternoon is waning quickly and your dinner guests are already en route.

Don't be intimidated by this large sheet of golden Italian bread. I got this result on my very first try.  Of course, it's not the first bread  I've ever made (Ciabatta has been my weekly bake for months and months now), but this is something I will indeed continue to make, as for roughly $.75  I made myself a horse doover and solid breakfast bread that lasted for almost a full week.

And the true beauty is that it's great plain and dipped in Olive oil or tarted up with, well, whatever floats your boat.  Well talk more about that in a moment.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups warm water
  
• 1 package active dry yeast (or t.5 teaspoons if you have a jar)
  
• 1 tablespoon sugar
  
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
  
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
  
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Put the flour, sugar, active yeast, and salt into your mixer.  I have a Kitchenaid stand mixer, but even a hand unit will work just fine.

Blend on super slow for about thirty seconds then add warm water and half a cup of the olive oil.  not hot water, not cold water. room temp + a hair -  I do :45 in the microwave.

Then back on lowest mix speed so you don't get a flour explosion in your kitchen.  As soon as it starts to form a flour mix, up it to medium for  5 minutes or so.

Dump it out onto a lightly floured workspace and roll/knead it just three or four times. 

Then move it to a well-oiled bowl, cover and let it proof for an hour in a warm spot.  I set my oven to <proof> mode 85 degrees, 

After about an hour, or when it's doubled in size, pour about half a cup of olive oil into a large, low rimmed pan and plop your dough in the middle.  push it down and spread it to cover the whole pan (about1/2 to 3/4 thick and while doing so poke it fiercely with your fingertips to make holes and while spreading.  this sounds like a lot of oil, but it's what gives Focaccia that flavor pop.  Flip it once or twice to get both sides lathered in that oil.

Let it sit and think about its existence for another hour while you heat up the oven to 425 and go work on your Italian language lessons.

At this point, you need to make a toppings decision.  This is all about your personal taste so whatever you like is the right choice.  The photos in this post of with roasted garlic, rosemary and some assiago cheese.  But you can use anything - or nothing.  Basil, tomatoes, oregano, sage, cayenne.  have fun.

Then pop that sucker into the oven for 20-25 mins until it golden browns to perfection.  Mine went 23 mins for this attempt. 

 Let it cool slightly and dip in some olive oil, or another of my favs, melted butter, garlic powder and cheese.  Baby... that's some mighty fine eating.