Rosemary Focaccia

Patience.  What tests your patience?  If you have children, I'm going to assume that they made your list of people that test your patience.  😂As remarkable as my adult children are, I'm convinced that they were created to develop my sense of patience for the first 20 years of their life.  My kids were experts at testing my patience.  

One of my children, who will remain nameless, got a hold of a package of zip ties one time and decided to use each and every one of them in an innovative way.  This creative prankster snuck downstairs in the middle of the night and decided it would be a hilarious joke to use the zip ties to secure every single cabinet door, drawer and appliance in the kitchen.   Imagine my frustration while trying to make my morning tea without being able to open a cabinet and get a mug,  open the tea drawer or even be able to turn on the water. 😅 😳 Oh and the drawer with the kitchen scissors - also zip tied closed.  Gotta give the kid credit for being thorough.  Kids.  Patience.  

Yup, kids will test your patience on a daily basis.  My kids have both moved out of the house but that doesn't mean that other things don't test my patience on a daily basis.  I get behind the slow driver in the passing lane.  I choose the slowest checkout line in the supermarket.  I wait longer than I feel is a reasonable amount of time for a doctors appointment or I have to wait outside in 98 degree temperatures for 30 minutes to get into Trader Joes.  😰  

Bread baking is just one of those times when I feel like I get to practice patience.  I have to knead it long enough to bring out the gluten in the flour or it will turn into a brick.  I can't rush the rising process or the yeast won't have enough time to do its thing.  The bread has to bake slowly enough to create air bubbles inside the loaf and to create that beautiful golden crust.   🥖 It's just not something that can be rushed or hurried but if you invest the time required, the results are amazing.  There's nothing quite like a slice of warm homemade bread.  

This delicious bread is incredible and it takes no less than 9 hours to go from raw ingredients to baked loaf!  ​Just think of it as an exercise in patience.  It's well worth your time though.  I promise.  

Rosemary Focaccia
Sponge
​1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup room temperature water
1/4 teaspoon yeast

Dough
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon yeast
1 Tablespoon salt (or rosemary salt)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary

Stir together sponge ingredients with wooden spoon.  

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 6 hours.  

Stir flour, water and yeast into sponge with a wooden spoon.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 15 minutes.

Stir in 2 t. salt.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes. 

Fold dough over itself turn bowl 45 degrees and repeat folding 7 more times.  Cover and let rest 30 minutes.

Repeat folding and let dough rest for another 30 minutes - 1 hour.

Coat 2 9" round cake pans with 2 T. oil each.  Sprinkle each with 1/2" t. salt.

Transfer dough to floured counter.  Divide in half.  

Shape into a 5" round. 

Place seam side up in pans to coat with oil.  Flip.  Cover and let rest 5 minutes.

Stretch dough to edges of pan.  Poke the dough with a fork 25-30 times. 

Sprinkle 1 T. rosemary over each loaf.  Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes.  Heat oven to 500.  

Reduce heat to 450 and bake 25-30 minutes.  

Let loaves cool in pans for 5 minutes.  Transfer to pans.  Brush with any remaining oil from pans.  

Let cool 30 minutes before slicing.  ​ This focaccia is the perfect compliment to so many things.  Obviously, you can serve it with grilled chicken and fish but you should try it with grilled meats and fish too.  If you have leftovers, slice it horizontally and fill it with your favorite sandwich ingredients for another amazing creation.  

​Ciao!

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