Since not being a very frequent bread eater, bread hardly ever makes it to my weekly grocery shopping. And that has become even less common as from past two months I have been on a nutrition plan which requires me to consume more complex carbs in proportioned quantity in a day. So that leaves me having more of brown rice, quinoa and sometimes barley too. Not that I don’t love eating bread, but it’s just that I don’t want to buy some and let it go wasted by the end of a week. So poor bread, however strong I may long for it, does not get enough attention. But then there are days when you’d have cravings so strong that you’d end up baking one for yourself, giving your nutrition plan a break for a meal at least. After all, life needs to be enjoyed, so you could cheat occasionally. Last weekend was one such day when this wonderfully moist and airy Focaccia happened – A bread so soft and full of aromatic flavors of extra virgin olive oil! The recipe is so easy to follow that there is no fuss about baking your own bread at home. It’s one of those recipes which you’d keep them with you for years. You’d see a humble mixture of flour, yeast, salt and olive oil getting turned into a warm comforting soft loaf of bread effortlessly, that you’d not believe if bread baking at home could be so simple and then why you hadn’t given it a try yet. So don’t wait anymore, put on your baker apron, get messy with flour and see the magic happen.
- 7 cup flour
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- In a bowl, sift together flour, salt and yeast. Add warm water and mix with wooden spoon. It will form a very sticky and shaggy dough.
- Transfer into another large bowl and pour over olive oil and coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap tightly. Let rise in fridge for about 24 to 48 hours. The longer you let it rise, the better will be the texture and taste.
- While ready to bake, take the dough out of fridge. Grease a large baking tray (about 18 x 13 inch) and line with parchment paper. Spread the dough onto baking tray and let it rise, until it is doubled in size and it comes to room temperature. It may take from 1 hour to 2 hours.
- While dough has doubled, preheat the oven to 230 degree C. Meanwhile, poke the dough using both hand's fingers, such that it created multiple indents roughly into the dough. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle the flaky sea salt.
- Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden on the top. Transfer to wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.