easy garlic herb Focaccia bread

Ever since becoming a stay at home mom, I've had this burning desire to make a show stopping homemade loaf of bread. It's like some latent Suzy Homemaker gene that was always there has been kicked into overdrive. 

I've experimented with tons of recipes, but the perfect loaf was still alluding me. I guess that yoga-mat-plastic additive really is the difference between a dense homemade loaf and a super-soft store bought loaf.

Most of the recipes I've found are profoundly irritating because they tell you that you'll "just know when the dough is ready." Thanks, Julia Child. Kind of like gardening when the plants will just "tell you when it's time to split them / prune them / transplant them / water them."

Well, I don't speak plant and I don't speak dough.

Until now.

On our stay-at-home-mom budget, we don't have the leisure to eat out very often. I miss the warm, yummy focaccia and artisinal breads that they give you at Italian restaurants before your meal. I wanted something equally yummy to go with the Gorgonzola Pasta dish I shared with you last week.

I also needed a way to use the absurd amount of Oregano growing in my back yard.

perhaps I DO speak gardening

And, friends, here it is. This garlic herb Focaccia bread is a no guesswork recipe that even I couldn't screw up. I added lots of photos to help you along the way. It takes very little skill, but does require a bit of time. Save this for a weekend or a lazy rainy day.

Thumbs up. Let's do this.

THE GOODS:

• 5 cups flour. I used 3 cups all purpose and 2 cups bread flour, because that's what I had around. You can use a combination like I did, or just go with all purpose.
• 1-3/4 cups warm water (110°)
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt 
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• Fresh herbs of your choosing (hearty ones like rosemary and oregano work great and stand up to the high temperatures in the oven) or dried Italian blend herbs
• 3 cloves fresh garlic

HOW TO:

STEP ONE: Proof your yeast. I microwaved my water in my measuring cup for 1.5 minutes until the temperature reached 110°. I don't like the guesswork of "warm" water - what's warm to me might not be to you. 110° - 115° is just the right temperature to make yeast happy. Add your yeast and sugar (aka yeast food), stir, and then leave it alone for 15 minutes.

before proofing

after proofing. very "fragrant" and puffy

STEP TWO: While the yeast is working, combine your flour, salt, and 1/2 cup olive oil in your Sir Mixalot. After your yeast concoction looks totally disgusting like the photo above, mix that in on low speed. Once the dough comes together, set your timer for 5 minutes and increase the speed to 4. If your mixer starts bucking like a bronco, reduce the speed to 2 and just mix 1 minute longer. 

If the dough is crazy-sticky, add a sprinkling of flour. If it's dry and stringy, add a tablespoon of warm water at a time until it looks like the photo below.

dough has just come together. set timer for 5 minutes and increase to speed 4.

dough has been kneading for 5 minutes and is ready to go.

STEP THREE: Transfer your dough to your work surface (which you've sprinkled with a bit of flour). Just knead it for a moment to get it into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl - use either olive oil or olive oil cooking spray - and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 1.5 to 2 hours, until it has doubled in size. I went to the grocery store, came back, and it was just right.

before rising

after rising 2 hours. see, it's huge.

STEP FOUR: Get out a jelly roll pan (or a cookie sheet with sides. Is that the same thing?) and drizzle the other 1/2 cup olive oil all over it. Yes, it looks ridiculous. Don't worry, your bread will soak all of that goodness up.

Plop your dough onto the sheet and start working it with your fingers like you're giving it a deep tissue massage. You want to poke holes with your fingers all through the dough as you stretch it to fill the cookie sheet. It should look like the cellulite on the back of your legs. Oh, you don't have cellulite? Well, I hate you. Eat 9 loves of this bread and then you will.

hey, it's starting to look like focaccia! as dimply as a baby's bottom.

STEP FIVE: It needs to rise again. Stop groaning, it will be worth it. Drape that plastic wrap you used earlier loosely over the top and let it rise again for an hour. Go paint your nails or have a cup of iced coffee or something. Preheat your oven to 425°. I have a convection oven, so that's actually 400° convection, if you care.

see? it's all big and fluffy-like.

STEP SIX: Chop up your fresh herbs and garlic cloves and sprinkle all over the top, like so. Also drizzle a bit more olive oil (because we haven't used enough already), Kosher salt, and black pepper over the top. If you like calamata olives or roma tomatoes, that would be delicious to add now as well. My family hates olives, so I couldn't add any. Life is tough.

pretty, pretty dough.

STEP SEVEN: Seven? Dear Lawd let's bake the friggin thing already. I'm starving. Bake your bread for 22-27 minutes. The top should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean (albeit slightly covered in olive oil). Remove from the oven and let it rest 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. 

it's finally done!

It will be incredibly difficult not to dive in right this very second, but if you'll let it cool for 20 or 30 minutes, you will be rewarded with extra soft focaccia.

This bread is awesome for paninis, dunking in soup, or devouring alongside any pasta dish known to mankind. You can also slice it up and freeze it to thaw and enjoy later.

Hopefully you're feeling brave and give this recipe a shot. Let me know if you do!

Thanks to The Noble Pig for the Focaccia recipe inspiration and being the first Pinterest bread recipe ever that turned out like actual bread. They have lots of other great recipes up in there, so go take a peek.

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

pasta with gorgonzola cream sauce

white wine and asparagus risotto

bacon jalapeño cheesy skillet cornbread

super dreamy restaurant worthy tiramisu

bacon jalapeño cheesy skillet cornbread

Southern girl that I am, I will tell you that the best cornbread comes from a cast iron skillet. I will also tell you that:

anything + bacon + jalapeno + cheese > everything else

momma fuel: skinny-ish banana chocolate chip muffins

I'm going to get real for a second. I love nursing babies. It's super healthy for them, good for me, promotes bonding, the list goes on. The potential downside- it makes me more ravenous than a 16 year old varsity linebacker after 2-a-days in August. And when you're trying to drop, oh let's say hypothetically, 51 lbs of baby weight, if no healthy snacks are available, I'll down a half bag of chips without missing a beat. 

So I went in search if something that would taste like a treat, but that would lasso help me get back into real person jeans. Pinterest had my back. I found this recipe, made it, LOVED IT, then made a few tweaks to make it my own. 

First on the list, swapping semi-sweet mini chocolate chips for big fat dark chocolate ones. And since dark chocolate is so much healthier for you than regular (don't you dare tell me different) I went ahead and doubled the amount of chips. I found that 1/2 a cup meant that some of the poor little muffins ended up with like 2 chips, and we can't have that, can we?

Enough chit chat. I'm starving. 

First, wrangle up your wet ingredients. 3 bananas, 1/4 cup agave nectar, 2 tbsp honey (just eyeball it...getting it out of a measuring spoon wastes about half of it), 1 egg, and a teaspoon of vanilla and give 'me a whirl. You could mash the bananas first, I guess, but then you'd have to clean your potato masher. And why make extra dishes for yourself when Sir Mix A Lot will do the work for you. 

Then add your dry ingredients.  1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, and 6 oz vanilla Greek yogurt. Some of you may be thinking, "Tara, yogurt isn't a dry ingredient," and to you I say, chillax and just go with it.  

Sometimes I think there's great value in sifting your dry ingredients together. This is not that recipe. Just throw it in and enjoy the 60 seconds of your life you just got back. 

Now for the best part. Chocolate. Can I get an Amen?  Add your beautifully delicious chocolate chips in there. I let the mixer stir them for a moment, then mix it up with my spatula a bit. 

The dough  is pretty thick and wet-ish at this point. Grease up a muffin tin (and I mean it. Pam the heck out of it, because these muffins will stick to it like white on rice).  I use an ice cream scoop to get them all relatively the same size. 

Pop them in the oven at 350° for 17-20 minutes. The tops should be golden, and honestly, pretty wonky looking. I'm not sure if it's the whole wheat flour or the yogurt that makes them look this way, but they are unique and I like them.  Let them cool for 2 minutes in the pan, then use a paring knife/fork combo to extract them and place on a wire rack to cool completely. 

Now, you have 3 choices:

1. Eat one, put the rest in an air tight container.

2. Eat them all and tell no one.

3. Eat one, put the rest in a freezer bag and freeze them for later. 

There is a small mathematical error with option 3, however. You will want to have 2 for breakfast with coffee, 1 as a mid-afternoon snack, and 1 (or 2 or 3) for dessert. If you freeze them, you will just have to thaw them tomorrow.  But if this is what you want to do, just pop one in the microwave for 12 seconds (yes, 12.  10 is too short and 15 is too long.  If the micro machine would let me zap them for 12.5 seconds, I would).  Or let it thaw on the counter or in a bag in your purse for a couple of hours and it'll be happily waiting for you when the craving hits.

Oh look, here's one now!

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to scarf down this muffin, because Max looks hungry again.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 oz Vanilla Greek Yogurt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat honey, agave nectar, egg, vanilla and banana until blended. 
2. Add flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and yogurt. Beat for 1-2 minutes until fully combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Grease cupcake tin with nonstick baking spray. Spoon batter into each tin (about 1/4 cup). Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 18-20 minutes. For mini muffins, bake 11-13 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for later use. 
4. Eat and repeat. Yields 15-18 muffins.