Annette's Focaccia Recipe

Hi Everyone! It's Nicole, Annette's web-manager and friend. We had a rare snow day yesterday in Atlanta (trust me, we use the phrase "snow day" very loosely in these parts). I spent the day snuggled in front of the fire, needlepointing, reading, and catching up on television shows.

While it was a lazy day for me, I know many people took to their kitchens to do some baking, and I know bread is always a popular baking choice. The next time you find yourself wanting to bake bread, why not give Annette's focaccia recipe a try?

You can find the story behind focaccia in Annette's book, Cocktail Italiano.

Focaccia

Serves 4

You will need:

– 3 cups double zero flour (super fine flour)

– 1 package dry yeast

– 1/3 cup warm water

– 1 cup water

– ½ cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 teaspoon for the cookie sheet + 3 tablespoons for finishing before baking, 1 tablespoon to finish after baking

– 2 tablespoons coarse salt + 1 teaspoon for finishing

To prepare:

Place the yeast in a small bowl with 1/3 cups water and let proof in a large bowl. put flour and oil and salt and water, combine until it forms a sticky dough, it should be very sticky. Flour your surface and turn the dough onto floured surface. knead gently for a minute until dough forms a soft dough.

On an oiled cookie sheet with a lip, spread the dough out to fit the cookie sheet. With your index fingers poke dimples into the top of the dough.

Let rest for 30 minutes, then repeat by poking dimples into the risen dough, and let rest for 30 minutes.

Before placing in the oven, drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse salt.

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Remove sprinkle with 1 tablespoon olive oil cool and eat warm or at room temperature. The key is to let the oil soak in as the focaccia cools.