Focaccia

This is my mother’s recipe for Focaccia. It is always perfect and easy to make. I am proud to share her recipe with my readers.

Focaccia is a fun food for me to make because I can add whatever topping I want. It is great for a crowd as well since the dough can be prepared ahead of time.

There are two ways you can knead the dough, you can either do it by hand or the stand mixer.

I have listed a few suggested toppings.  My favorites are fresh tomatoes, basil and bocconcini cheese (mozzarella cheese).

Remember, fresh salad and herbs shrink down to half size so go with plenty. If you want them to stay green, add them 5 minutes before the cooking time ends.

Oven 450 to start.  Turn down to 425 after 5 minutes of cooking

1 cup warm water

pinch sugar

1 1/2 tsp regular yeast

2-3 cups of unbleached all purpose flour

extra olive oil

·      Stir the sugar and yeast into warm water and leave it to foam, about 5 minutes.  Stir again.

·      Add the flour 1/2 cup or so at a time and beat in well until the dough can be kneaded.  

·      Start kneading the dough and adding flour just enough to keep it from getting sticky.  You can do this right in the bowl or turn the dough out onto the counter.  

·      Knead for 5 minutes.  Return dough to the bowl or leave it in the bowl.  You might have to wash it out if there is lots of dough on the edges.  Otherwise it will rise fine even if the bowl isn't pristine.

·      Brush top of the dough with extra olive oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and cloth towel.

·      Let rise 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.  The longer the dough rises the thicker and softer the crust will be.  If you like a thinner, chewy crust let it rise less time. 

·      Cover your hands with olive oil.

·      Turn dough out onto pizza pan, cookie sheet or something similar and press into a round.  The thinner the dough is spread the thinner the crust will be.  If you want it nice and thick just make a smaller round. 

·      Push thumb or finger into the dough all over to make depressions.  Spread a thin layer of olive oil.

·      Top with whatever you like. Below are few ideas you can try.

·      Bake for 15 to 18 minutes total.  Turn pan around after 10 minutes.

·      You can either eat as it is or dip it with something.

Suggested toppings:

·      Olive oil

·      Olive oil mixed with pesto and or Dijon mustard

·      Salt and pepper

·      Herbs such as basil, savory, thyme, oregano (fresh or dry)

·      Sun dried tomatoes

·      Tomatoes (seeded and diced)

·      Fresh pepper

·      Anchovies

·      Fresh bocconcini cheese (mozzarella cheese)

·      Swiss cheese

Or anything else you can think of.  

Dip

·      A bit of olive oil in a dish then add kind of vinegar such as balsamic or raspberry.

Apple Bread

     It been awhile since I last posted to my blog, I am sorry for keep you waiting. I have been cooking at my parents’ house in Florida. I still have no kitchen here in Ontario, Canada after the BIG FLOOD.  So I used my sister’s kitchen to make my favourite bread.

This kind of bread is called Quick Bread, it doesn’t need yeast and you don’t need to knead. You simply mix the ingredients, though you do need to do a bit of work on the main ingredients such as peeling and shredding the apple.

This recipe is great for people who want to learn how to make bread. You can eat it for breakfast, snack, dessert and any other time you want an apple bread fix.

There are few ways to shred apple; you can hand shred it with a grater, or use a chopper.  Be careful if you use a food processor.  Too long and you have applesauce not shredded apple.

Have fun!

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 beaten egg

1 cup sugar (you can use less sugar, about half cup)

1 ½ cup shredded, peeled granny smith apple

¼ cup cooking oil (such as vegetable or canola oil)

1.     Pre heat oven to 350 F

2.     Grease the 8x4x2 inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder and clove. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

3.     In another medium bowl combine egg, sugar, apple and oil. Add apple mixture all at once to flour mixture.

4.     Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy not smooth so don’t over mix it) Spoon batter into prepared pan.

5.     Bake in the oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

6.     Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. (I said this but sometime I like to eat the bread while it is still warm)

7.     I like to wrap and store overnight before slicing because I find it tastes even better than when it is still warm.