This is one bread I had wanted to bake since forever. More due to the ease of making it. Focaccia is an Italian flatbread which can be made thicker or thinner depending upon how you like it. You can use veggies of your choice to garnish it.
The word Focaccia had originated from focus, as the bread was baked in a hearth or on fire that was the centre of family activities.
As always the whole wheat flour goes into it. Semolina makes a way too. Those who know me know how much I love to bake a bread loaf. Every time the loaf goes into the oven, the anxiety is the same. Will it come out good? And If I can bake a good loaf, I feel accomplished. And a not so good bread breaks my heart like no other thing:)
I have baked it twice with the same measurements but different vegetables. External conditions and supply of goods now control what and how we eat. The first time, I had some cherry tomatoes and the second time I had red capsicum. You can go for any of these. Or better you can be more imaginative and decorate the focaccia in a different way.
I served it with bhaji. You can serve your focaccia with an omelette or butter or better a lentil soup.
Whole Grain Focaccia
Ingredients
- 1.75 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp Semolina (fine)
- 2 tbsp Milk powder
- 1.25 cup Water
- 3/4 tsp Instant dry yeast
- 1 tsp Pink salt
- 1 tsp Brown sugar or jaggery
- 2 + 2 tbsp Butter or Olive oil
- 50 g Cherry tomatoes cut into halves
- 1/2 tsp Pizza spices ( optional )
Instructions
- Take wheat flour and semolina in a big bowl and add salt, milk powder and jaggery. Give it a good mix with a spatula.
- Add yeast and mix again. Add water gradually and make a dough. You may need more or less water. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Add oil or butter.
- Knead the dough for 10 -12 minutes by stretch and pull method. You can apply oil or butter on your hands. When ready, the dough will bounce back if poked.
- Keep the dough for the first rise. Apply oil on the top of the dough to prevent drying. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel.
- The dough will take about 40-60 minutes for the first rise. This depends on the temperature at your place.
- Apply oil in an 8"X 8" inch pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Punch the dough and spread in the prepared pan evenly.
- Dimple it with your fingers and apply olive oil or butter generously.
- Rest the dough for the second rise. Mine took 20 minutes to rise.
- Cut cherry tomatoes in two pieces and poke in the dough gently. You can use vegetables of your choice as the topping.
- Add mixed herbs in the olive oil or butter and pour over the bread. I skipped the oil. Just sprinkled the spices.
- Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 190 C.
- Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Take out from the pan and allow to cool on the wire rack.
- Cut and serve in the way you like.
Notes
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