FOCCACIA BREAD

Foccacia Bread
Recipe from Melinda Gassman

6 cups flour
2 cups warm water
¼ cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 ½ Tbsp yeast (2 single use packets)
6 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp Italian seasonings
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt


Combine 3 cups of the flour, water, oil, 2 tsp. salt, sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Mix with beaters or dough hook for 5 minutes. Add remaining 3 cups of flour and knead for 5 minutes (by hand or in mixer). In a separate bowl, combine cheese and seasonings. Add ½ of the mixture to the dough and knead it in for 2 more minutes. (Sometimes, I make it to this point the night before, spray the inside of a plastic grocery bag with non-stick spray, toss the ball of dough into the bag, tie the top up and put it in the fridge. The next day I take it out, let it warm up a little and proceed.)

Lightly cover the dough with oil and place in a bowl, and let rise for 20 minutes. (If you had it in the fridge overnight, skip that. Just start here after the dough has warmed up a little.)

Roll the dough out a little bigger than a baker’s half sheet (large cookie sheet with sides---11 x 17).

Spray the pan and place the dough in it. The dough will retract a little; make it fit the pan. Spread the olive oil on the dough. Add the last 1/2 tsp. of salt to the cheese mixture. Sprinkle the mixture over the dough. Let rise for 15 – 20 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Poke the dough gently but firmly enough to leave depressions over the dough’s surface. (If you forget to do this, don’t worry about it! I usually forget.) Bake for 15 minutes, placing aluminum foil lightly over the top for the last five minutes to avoid over-browning. You might need to add a few more minutes of baking time, depending on your oven.

(This bread is really good for sandwiches. Cut in squares and split in half lengthwise.)