Family Chow Hall

Focaccia Bread

March 8th, 2006

Try this Greek-style bread on the side next time you need a change from regular garlic bread. Topped with Feta cheese, black olives, and extra-virgin olive oil, it makes a delicious side dish to Italian or Greek dinners, or any grilled meat you can think of.

So get out that bread machine and plug ‘er in….

Greek Focaccia Bread
makes 1.5 lb. “loaf”

1 c. water
1/3 c. olive oil
1 t. salt
2 t. minced garlic
2 t. sugar
2 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
1 1/2 t. yeast

Toppings:
additional olive oil
chopped or sliced black olives
crumbled Feta cheese
shredded Asiago cheese
shredded mozzerella cheese
sliced fresh mushrooms
sliced red onions, sauteed

Use your bread machine according to the maker’s instructions. For me, that means I put the water and oil in first, then add the sugar, salt, and garlic. The white and wheat flours and wheat germ follow that, then I make a little ‘well’ and put the quick-acting yeast in there. Set your machine to the “dough” cycle and let ‘er rip.

After about an hour and a half, my dough is done. Empty the pan onto a floured board and knead gently a few times. Next, roll it out to the size of a small pizza. The Focaccia dough should not be very thin. Move your Focaccia dough to a baking stone or cookie sheet.

Next, make dimples in your Focaccia by quickly pressing your fingertips all over the dough. Start the toppings for your Focaccia by drizzling a little oil over the dough. Then sprinkle whichever toppings you choose over it all. Finally, cover and let it rise, just for about 30 minutes.

When the Focaccia dough is nice and puffy, heat your oven to 375 and bake for 20 minutes. Cut the bread into squares and serve like pizza. Jacob called it, “that pizza stuff.”

Last night we had this Focaccia bread with grilled turkey breast and a side of cheesy broccoli. My five-year-old liked everything on his plate - a true miracle. Everyone else in the family also heartily approved of the dinner. It is now in the “keeper” category of new meals.

For the turkey, I had simply purchased a large (about 2 lb.) chunk of smoked, fully-cooked turkey breast. It was seasoned with sun-dried tomatoes, exactly like something you would see at the deli counter, but still in one piece. I sliced the turkey breast thickly and grilled it. It turned out a little dry, so I served it with Bronco Bob’s Raspberry Chipotle sauce. Mmm… Mmm… It went really well with the warm Greek-style Focaccia Bread.

Entry Filed under: Bread, Mixed bag, Most Popular Posts, Recipes