Garlic Rosemary Focaccia

Towards the end of last year I got myself an OTG. I wanted to buy it for a long time and was glad that I was able to do it, finally. However, baking in it was a different challenge. To me intense annoyance, I was just not able to get a "hang off" the oven. I struggled with some of the tried and tested recipes. They were either over baked or under baked. It was very frustrating to waste a lot of ingredients. I don't recall me struggling with my microwave convection. It was a breeze since day one.

Today I finally got a grip on my oven. And baked this beautiful Garlic Rosemary Focaccia. Focaccia (pronounced as fo-ka-sia) is an Italian bread with texture similar to that of pizza. It is one of the most popular breads made by homemakers. Unlike many bread recipes which require bread flour, this bread can be made with all-purpose flour (maida) and other basic ingredients. I found this recipe here. 

Just keep kneading - I am an amateur baker. This is literally the first bread I ever baked. And this bread requires some elbow grease. The original recipe says that you have to knead for around 10 min for the dough to be soft. It took me almost 30 minutes. As per the recipe, the dough has to be soft and should not be sticking to the fingers. After 30 min of rigorous kneading, my dough was soft and my fingers were clean. May be it was the climate - It was a hot and humid Saturday afternoon in Mumbai. So, initially the dough will be very, very sticky and messy. But the key is to not give up and just keep on kneading. Add 1 tbsp of all purpose flour at a time and then keep on kneading. You can stop when the dough does not stick to your hand and the surface while kneading and has become very soft. It might take its time but you will get there eventually. The recipe also mentioned that you will know that the dough is ready when you poke it with your finger and the dough bounces back slowly. Even after 30 minutes of non stop kneading my dough did not bounce back completely. However as it was soft and non sticky, I stopped kneading.

Measurement of flour - I halved the original recipe to make this bread. Also note that you may require more flour than what is mentioned below. I think it depends on the climate of the place you are in. As per the original recipe, we require around 565 grams to 630 grams of flour. Based on that, the halved recipe required 320 grams of flour. However as I started to knead, I had to add almost 100 grams to 120 grams of flour. This is a very approx measurement as I was adding flour as per need. I added almost 7 to 8 heaped tbsp of flour and then as the dough became pliable I reduced the amount of flour to 1/2 tbsp at a time. 

Rest Time - Though the ingredients are basic and the method is pretty doable, the key to this bread is the rest time. The original recipe recommended anything between 1 hour to 24 hour final rest for the dough. I rested the dough in my refrigerator for almost 14 hours before baking it. 

Bake time - The original recipe mentioned to bake the bread for 20-23 minutes in a very hot oven. The size of the tin also affects the bake time. I used a regular square cake tin to bake my bread. So, I adjusted the time accordingly. Initially, I had kept the bake time at 15 minutes. But, when I checked my bread at 10 minutes, I noticed that the top had browned and it had a decent crust. I switched off the oven and took out the bread at around 11 minutes mark. The bread was soft with a crusty top and soft and chewy texture. 

Toppings - I kept the toppings at the basic minimum. Just garlic and rosemary. You can add sun dried tomatoes, olives, jalapeno, etc to make the bread more interesting. 

So, lets look at the ingredients. Please note that I measured the flour using a weighing scale and the cup measurement is converted.

For the bread - 

320 grams all-purpose flour or maida or 2 and a half cup (See notes below)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp instant yeast or fast action yeast

2 tbsp or 30 ml olive oil

1/2 tbsp salt. I used coarse salt. Table salt is also fine

1 cup or 240 ml warm water

For the topping - 

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic finely grated

2 tbsp dried rosemary

salt and pepper

1. Warm the water. I microwaved the water for 15-20 seconds. You should be able to dip your finger in the water and hold it for couple of seconds. I have read that too much heat kills the yeast. In the original recipe, the water should be between 100 degree Fahrenheit to 110 degree Fahrenheit. I don't have a thermometer to measure. 
2. In a large bowl, add half of the warm water, sugar and yeast and whisk it with a whisk or fork for a minute. Then cover the bowl loosely with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 5 min as you prep the other ingredients. 
3. Measure out the flour, salt, and olive oil. As per my experience, measure and keep an additional 100 grams of flour separately.
4. You will notice that the yeast would be bubbly, foaming and emitting a strong smell. Add 1/4th of the measured flour (i.e. 1/4th of 320 grams flour. You can eye ball. No need for precise measurement) and rest of the ingredients into the yeast mixture. With the help of a hand mixer with dough  hook, beat the mixture on low speed. Gradually add rest of the flour while beating at a low speed. Continue to beat till you feel that the dough is too heavy for the dough hook. However, if the dough is sticking to the bowl, add 1 tbsp of the additional dough or more and continue to beat till its heavy for the dough hook.
5. Flour a clean surface and turn the dough into it. Scrape the bowl completely with the help of a scrapper, knife or your hands. Lightly flour your hands and start kneading with both your hands. As mentioned above, the dough will be very sticky, but keep adding 1 tbsp flour at a time and follow the mantra "just keep kneading" till the dough is soft and your fingers are clean.
6. Grease the same bowl generously with olive oil and turn the dough into it. Cover it loosely with a kitchen towel and keep it in a warm place for 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size. It took me around an hour and a half. I kept in dough in the microwave.
7. When the dough has doubled up, grease a square tin generously with olive oil. The cake till should have a height of at least 1 inch (very important - read notes below). 
8. Punch the dough to release the air bubbles. Place the dough in the prepared pan and gently stretch the dough to fit the pan. Be careful not to tear it. Cover the pan with a cling film or a simple cover and let it rest in the refrigerator. I rested my dough in the refrigerator for almost 14 hours. 
9. When you are ready to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator and bring it down to room temperature. I kept it out for almost 30 minutes before baking. 
10. Preheat the oven at the highest temperature for 15 minutes. I preheated my OTG for 15 minutes at 200 degree C.
11. In the meanwhile prepare the toppings. I mixed all the ingredients together in a small bowl. 
12. As the oven preheats, dimple the dough all across with your fingers. Push all ten fingers into the dough and poke small holes without tearing it. The dough will bounce back, but its ok. 
13. Spread the topping all over the bread with the help of a silicon brush or your hands. 
14. When the oven has preheated, position a rack in a way that the cake tin will be almost in the center of the oven. Bake the bread at 220 degree Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes or when you see that the top is browning. 
15. Take the bread out and let it rest for a few minutes on a cake rack. Then invert the bread onto the rack. The bread should come out quickly.

The bread is ready and enjoy it warm with olive oil. 

Notes - 

1. Measure and keep an additional 100 grams of flour
2. This recipe requires quite a bit of salt.
3. The original recipe mentioned you can use active dry yeast as well. I used fast action yeast as I had it with me.
4. Be generous with the topping. 
5. The original recipe used a 12 x 17 inch baking pan with  1 inch tall sides. The baking tray which I got with the oven was the right size except that the sides we almost 1/2 inch or less. Hence, I decided to go for a baking pan. I have read that the flatter the bread more tastier it is. However, it might affect the bake time of the bread and I was not confident.