Focaccia Bread

So I decided to bake something to check out how my new oven works. (Oh! Did I not mention that we shifted to  another location a month back??). Thanks to hubby dear's job, I get a new kitchen every couple of years. And to get used to the new location, new home and most importantly new kitchen, takes time. But am not complaining this time as I got my favourite gas burner (how I used to curse the hot plates before) to cook all my Indian stuff. :)

I planned to bake a bread this time and  it took an entire half day to bake one. I struggled so hard with my yeast to foam up and later knew that the yeast had already gone dead. So I quickly decided to go to a superstore to buy some yeast before I changed my mind to not to "Bake a Bread". But patience paid off as soon as I saw the result (the pic below). And I can't even explain what it feels like when you bake something and it comes out just perfect!! 

"Focaccia" is an Italian flat bread which resembles something like a pizza. Even the dough prepared is similar to one that of a pizza. This is kind of a savoury bread as it is topped with rosemary, sage, olives, and other herbs of choice to make it more flavourful. This bread is quite famous in the Mediterranean belt and has different variations and names given in each region. The reason I chose to bake Focaccia is..."It is quite a good looking Bread!! :) 

Ingredients:

• 500 gm 00 italian flour / bread flour
• 7 gm yeast (easy bake yeast)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp milk powder (optional)
• 8-10 black olives
• rosemary sprigs
• 1 tsp dried oregano 

Note: If you have dried active yeast, then put 2 tsp yeast, 1 tsp sugar into 250 ml of warm water in a bowl & stir well. Leave it for 5 minutes until frothy. Use this yeast mixture to knead the dough along with salt and olive oil.

Method:

1. Put the flour in a mixing bowl along with the yeast, 1 tbsp olive oil & salt. Rub the flour with your hands and gradually add some water to combine everything together.
2. Tip the rough dough to a flat board and start kneading well for 7-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Sprinkle some flour to the dough while kneading if it is too water.
3. Keep the dough in the mixing bowl & pour 1 tbsp olive oil over it. Cover and allow it to proof or rise for 1 hour until it doubles its size.  
4. Grease a baking tray with some oil. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.
5. After an hour, punch the dough and knead for a minute. Flatten the dough by hand or with a roller pin.  It needn't be a perfect round or square. With you fingers or the back of a wooden spoon, make deep indents all over the dough to relieve bubbles while baking. 
6. Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil all over the dough and place cut black olives and sprigs of rosemary on top of the dough. Sprinkle some oregano to top it all. 
7. Bake the dough for 20- 30 minutes or until golden and crisp on top. 
8. Slice them however you want and serve with any hot filling soups.