Easy Herbed Focaccia Bread Recipe (Doubles as a Pizza Crust)

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Making your own bread for dinner is quite simple.  Just give yourself 15 minutes of hands on time in the kitchen and you can wow your family with a special treat!

I like to make homemade focaccia bread with our Italian dinner nights. It is a perfect side! I also usually make a dipping sauce to go with it (instead of a topping like butter).  If I have fresh basil, I will make a “nut-free” pesto dip, or olive oil with crushed spices is fantastic, marinara is good too!  I have also purchased a couple of dipping sauces for cheap with sun dried tomatoes.  So I have quite a fun variety of dipping sauces, but a few of my family members just like to eat it as it is too as it is so good!

I use a KitchenAid Mixer which saves me tons of time and effort as it does most of the work…. but you can do it by hand too which just a bit more effort.  As far as the pan, you can use any shape and type.  Metal square cake pans works fine! I happen to have a round pizza stone that I love, but it will not make a difference (the stones are expensive, but I have had this one for probably 10+ years!).

Here’s the ingredients needed.

•  1 cup of pretty warm water
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1  packet active dry yeast or  2 1/4 teaspoons
• You will then want 2 teaspoons of green dried herbs – so I usually include equal amounts of dried basil, oregano, parsley and thyme or 2 teaspoons of italian seasoning.
• 1/2 teaspoon of Rosemary
• 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil

For the topping:

• Olive Oil (usually about a tablespoon – enough to brush all over the top)
• Parmesan Cheese (again, enough to sprinkle on top to desired likeness)
• Fennel Seed (sprinkle sparingly on top)

To make:

• Combine the warm water, flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl or in the bowl of your mixer.  Just stir until blended and then let it set for about 15 minutes until bubbles form.  
• Then start the mixer on low speed and add the spices and vegetable oil.
• Mix/ knead until the dough forms a ball that has elasticity whether with the mixer or by hand.
• Form the dough into a ball and set in a greased bowl turning a couple of times until the ball is coated in the “spray” grease.  Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let set in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 20- 30 minutes).  I just use the mixer bowl for this… so I take the dough out and the dough hook and spray the bowl and put it back in for the rising!
• Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees
• Coat the bottom of the pan in olive oil (and sprinkle any spices if you want)
• Once the dough rises, punch it down and then turn it over onto the pan you will cook it on.  Using a hand or roller, form the dough to the shape of the pan.
• Then once in place, using your knuckles, “punch” the dough to make the bubble shape.
• Then go over the dough a second time with a fork to put tiny holes in the dough.

• Brush the dough with the olive oil, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese and fennel seed to liking.
• Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown
• Cut how every you want (I usually cut into strips) and serve.  It can be served warm or room temperature and both ways taste great!

This also makes for a very tasty pizza crust too!

Here’s a printable recipe for you to put into your home binder!  AND details on the Home Binder with FREE downloads are HERE.