Kate's Focaccia
(also posted in the Soups section of the Scullery -- jp)
posted by Kate, 6/1/03:
from Moosewood's _Daily Special_ book, the soup/salad/bread one.
The focaccia is more of a pizza-crust type than my normal recipe, and it would make killer breadsticks with a bit more flour.
Focaccia (an interpretation of the real recipe)
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 cups white flour (I used bread flour)
scant 1/2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Use a mixer or bread machine. Dump all ingredients into the bowl and mix for about a minute. The dough will be VERY wet and sticky but do not add more flour. When it has become elastic and stringy, scrape it into an oiled bowl, cover, and put aside to rise for 2 to 3 hours. The longer and slower the rise, the better the focaccia will be. When the dough has doubled, preheat oven to 500F.
Turn the dough out and make two rounds, breadsticks, or just a big flat plane. It was so wet and sticky that I just put it on parchment paper and smooshed it into a sort of rectangle. There was no way it was going to shape into breadsticks without more flour. If yours is drier, dip your fingertips in flour and dimple the top; I couldn't get the dimples to stay put. You can add chopped fresh rosemary or garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, and/or salt at this point (I oiled/salted mine after baking due to the wetness). Let rise for 10 minutes, then put in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until done.