"What's Focaccia?"

One day at work (probably a few weeks after the first successful sourdough) a co-worker of mine realized that I didn't know what Focaccia was. After a few minutes of unsuccessful descriptions, we decided that I would just have to look up a recipe and make it in order to figure it out (which really isn't that complicated but at the time it was like trying to describe what clouds were to someone who had never seen clouds). So I found the following recipe and proceeded to go absolutely crazy. Seriously, the possibilities are endless.

ingredients:
2 3/4 cups of flour (varies)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of white sugar
1 cup of water
2 cups of proofed starter (or 2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast...i think)
thyme, rosemary, pepper, sage, or whatever you want, really
1 tablespoon of oil to mix and 2 tablespoons for the top (later)

Method:

in a large bowl stir together the salt, sugar, yeast, herbs of your choice (about a tablespoon or more, depending on how strong you want the flavor to be. I always use freshly chopped herbs so I usually end up measuring with my hands. Mix in the oil (you can use vegetable oil, but i usually use olive oil) and water. Add the flour just until everything starts to pull together.

Turn out your dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead while you add the remaining flour. Continue kneading until until it's smooth and elastic. I've never used a mixer for this, and it's always been on the right side of perfect, so don't worry if you don't have a mixer. Coat a large bowl with some oil, put your dough in it, cover with a damp cloth and put it in a warm place to rise until doubled.

Punch down your dough, preheat your oven to 450, and spread your dough out onto a greased baking sheet. Pat it out until it's 1/2 an inch thick (mine are usually rectangles, but if you prefer circles you can do it that way too) Brush the top with some oil and then add your cheese and topping (this is where I usually go crazy) Bake it for 15 minutes until beautiful.


(Basil, Gorgonzola, and caramelized onions)


(Finnish cheese, sage, and caramelized onions)


(Parmigiana and olive)


(Manchego with capers)


(Gruyere, basil, and caramelized onions)

So, you get the idea. These may not be the most traditional forms of Focaccia, but they're super easy, delicious, and make great snacks or lunchtime munchies.