Rosemary Focaccia Bread

There's something about bread that gets me excited to make it.  It's such a simple food, but there's definitely an art to making it homemade and patience that the cook needs to encompass. Seeing that I (at times) am not the most patient person, I was thinking what type of bread could be made relatively fast. That's when I thought about focaccia. Focaccia bread is an Italian bread that has lots of olive oil in it, leaving it moist and delicious. I added rosemary, because why not, and sea salt just brings it altogether. This is a bread that anyone can make, and that everyone will rave about.

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Prep Time: 15 Minutes / Idle Time: 2 Hours 20 Minutes / Bake Time: 23-28 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 Cup Warm Water
• 1 Package Active Dry Yeast
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 4 Cups Flour
• 1 Tbsp Salt, plus more for topping
• 1 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Rosemary

Directions:

In a measuring cup, fill with very warm water and add in dry yeast package and sugar. Mix and let sit for 15-20 minutes, until it starts bubbling.

In the bowl of an electric mixer (fitted with the dough hook) pour in flour and salt. 

Add in 1/2 cup olive oil to the flour.

Add the yeast mixture.

Mix on low until all combined. Once combined, bring it to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes.

Once done, lightly flour your work station and take the dough out of bowl onto the table.

Knead the dough a couple of times and form into a smooth ball.

Lightly rub olive oil into the mixing bowl and place the dough back in. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise until the dough has doubled in size in a warm place for about an hour.

Once dough has risen, add 1/2 cup of olive oil into a 12 x 17 baking pan. 

Drop the dough on the baking sheet and evenly press out.

Once stretched out. poke holes with your index finger to the bottom of the pan.

Leave in a warm place for 1 hour until it has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Once doubled, brush on a little more olive oil on top.

Roughly chop rosemary and sprinkle on top.

Sprinkle about 1 tsp of salt on top.

Once topped with all the goodies, it's time to bake it in the oven for 23-28 minutes (until nice and golden on top).

Once done, let cool and serve!