Rosemary Garlic Focaccia

Last week I made a tomato lentil curry stew for dinner. While in retrospect it was more than hearty enough to fill one up for a good long while, I thought that a side of bread for sopping sounded like sound logic. Having forgotten to purchase a loaf of bread in my previous three trips to stores, however, and being unwilling to go the to grocer once again where my will would crumble and I would end up leaving with probably cornish game hens and capers, which I would just know I’d find some use for eventually…I bit the bullet and decided to go forth and just make some bread myself. And in this case, no so much bread as warm, fresh focaccia. Oooh.

Rosemary Garlic Focaccia

Credit here for the recipe goes to Always Order Dessert. I didn’t make any changes to the ingredients, but because I lack a fancy schamancy mixer, I just did this by hand. Humanity has not thrived this long to be thwarted by a lack of Cusinart mixers.

I made the dough the night before and threw them in the fridge so I could bake them upon returning home the next evening. While I bustled around and made the tomato lentil stew, I let the dough warm up and rise before I punctured the dough with my finger to create the little dents and bubbles and all this before I added the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and rosemary (fresh off my little rosemary plant that sits on my bedroom window sill and has somehow survived my care for the last two years). I popped them in the oven and popped them right back out once they were golden. The smell of the bread wafting through the apartment was heavenly. Even the cats kind of went nuts.

My boyfriend and I gobbled them up, and this recipe officially went into my book of “heavy-rotation recipes.”

Rosemary & Garlic Focaccia Rolls

• 4 1/2 cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1.5 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 3/4 cups ice cold water

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 6 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 teaspoons diced garlic
• kosher salt
• fresh cracked pepper

To make the dough:

1. Combine the flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and the cold water until it is all completely absorbed. Continue to stir until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides. Add extra tablespoons of water or flour as needed.
2. Remove the dough and knead the dough for about 4-5 minutes. Once kneaded, deposit onto a floured surface and cut the dough into six equal sized balls. Roll the dough into about 5-6 inch circles. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours for up to 4 days.

When you’re ready to bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit up and warm for about 10 minutes. Prick them with your finger or with a fork and make about 8 dents.
3. Get a flat baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Place the rolled dough on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
4. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle the dough with rosemary and minced garlic. Top with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to your taste.
5. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until the rolls are puffy and golden. Remove from the oven and let them cool before serving.

Tags: Bread, focaccia, garlic, rosemary