Guest Post (September): Focaccia Bread

"Good things come to those who bake."

Hi everyone,

It is time for me to introduce yet another friend who loves baking, confectionary and patisserie. We've been friends since the age of four. Sharleen. A, Sara. R and yours truly were in the same kindergarten class and in the same school bus too. As we grew up we made new friends and moved away nevertheless all three of us are still in touch like there was no distance or time apart.

Sharleen who is now pursuing her M.A in Economics is also doing her Advanced Diploma in Patisserie and Confectionary at one of Mumbai's leading group of hotels.

She doesn't really remember when she started cooking or baking but confectionary items interested her the most (for sure it came to her naturally). I say 'naturally' because, I remember clearly, one lunch at Sharleen's place when she used to reside in Bahrain, her mum cooked a variety of dishes and the most memorable part of that lunch was, her mum baking chocolate chip cookies. That aroma of cookies baking in the kitchen filled the hall is still etched in my mind, it has been over fifteen years and I remember that pleasant aroma so well and that is enough proof of how good those cookies were. Her mum packed a few in sandwich bags and gave us all a bag to take home. I bet Sharleen gets it from her mum!

Sharleen A. shared a bread recipe with us. This bread is a popular Italian bread and can be used as pizza bread/ base too. It is called Focaccia Bread.

Focaccia Bread is a flat oven baked Italian bread, which may be topped with herbs or other ingredients. It is usually seasoned with olive oil and salt, and sometimes with herbs. It is often said to be an alternative to Garlic Bread. Texture wise it is crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside. It can be eaten as is or sliced and used for making sandwiches or used as a quick pizza crust.

Ingredients:

• Refined flour- 200 gms
• Salt- 3 gms
• Sugar 5 grams
• Yeast 8 grams
• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) 20 ml
• Water 120 ml
• Rock Salt 5gms
• Herbs- oregano or Rosemary (adjust quantity as per your liking)
• Additional toppings: Onions, olives, cheese etc

Procedure:

1. Sieve the refined flour and salt together and make a well in the center.

2. Dissolve the yeast and sugar and water.After that put that into refined flour and make the dough and knead it nicely till it forms an elastic.

3. Cover the dough with the help of a moist cloth. Give it 10 minutes rest. 

4. After 10 minutes knock back the dough . 

5. Add oil and herbs into the dough and knead the dough till it is absorbed. 

6. Grease the baking tray then flatten the dough in the tray. Keep it for proving*/proofing*. 
After proving dock the dough with fingers then bake it at 170 for 20-25 minutes, till it gets a nice colour.

7. After baking remove the tray and then make holes in the focaccia, then put EVOO in it and make some more on it. Then keep it for some more time to get softer.

8. Serve as a side, or eat as a plain bread or use as a pizza crust by adding some toppings like cheese tomatoes and olives.

*Proving: Often called 'proofing', means to allow the bread to rise. This word is commonly used in bread making which require yeast.


Thank you Sharleen. A  for sharing this recipe with the readers at Bits & Pieces from Venus.

Wishing you success in everything you take up.

-Love
bpV

"God gives us the ingredients for our daily bread but he expects us to do the baking."