Best Olive Focaccia Recipes

OLIVE, ROSEMARY, AND ONION FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook stir together the yeast, the sugar, and 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water and proof the yeast mixture for 5 minutes, or until it is foamy. Stir in 4 1/2 cups of the flour, the salt, and 2 tablespoons of the oil and knead the dough, scraping down the dough hook occasionally and adding as much of the remaining 1/2 cup flour as necessary to form a soft, slightly sticky dough, for 3 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn it to coat it with the oil, and let it rise, covered, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it is double in bulk. Knead in the chopped rosemary, press the dough with lightly oiled hands into a well-oiled 15 1/2- by 10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan, and let it rise, covered loosely, for 30 minutes. The dough may be made 8 hours in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• Dimple the dough with your fingertips, making 1/4-inch-deep indentations, brush it with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and top it with the onion, the olives, the salt, and the whole rosemary leaves. Bake the focaccia in the bottom third of a preheated 400°F. oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until it is golden and cooked through. Transfer the focaccia to a rack, let it cool for 10 minutes, and serve it, cut into squares, warm or at room temperature.

OLIVE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and 1 cup flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, peppers, olives and parsley., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 50 minutes., Punch dough down. Shape into a 9-in. circle on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 25 minutes. With fingertips, make several dimples over top of dough. Brush with oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and cheeses., Bake at 400° until golden brown, 14-18 minutes. Remove to a wire rack.

FOCACCIA BREAD HERBED WITH BLACK OLIVE & FRESH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Cover potato with cold water in medium saucepan.
• Simmer until potato is tender.
• Drain, reserving cooking liquid.
• Mash potato.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup warm (NOT HOT) potato water with dissolved 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl, mix together.
• Let stand until the yeast begins to act, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the yeast mixture.
• In a food processor add together the flours, potato and salt.
• Pulse 4 times.
• With the machine running slowly pour through feed tube the yeast mixture.
• Adding rest of water to make a ball of dough in the machine.
• (Be careful not to over add the water) Use only enough water so the dough comes into a ball and away from sides of bowl.
• Knead for 1 minute in food processor.
• Turn out on a floured surface, and knead just until smooth.
• Keep the dough soft.
• Pour 1/2 teaspoon of the oil into a clean bowl.
• Place the dough in the bowl, turning once to oil the top.
• Cover.
• Let rise until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Punch the dough down.
• Use 1 teaspoon of the oil to coat a baking sheet, and place the dough on the baking sheet.
• Gently press the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness.
• Pour the remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons oil over the top of the dough.
• Use your knuckle to dimple the dough at 1-1/2 inch intervals.
• Sprinkle with the rosemary, black olives and the cheese.
• Place in a cold oven on the center shelf.
• Place a flat pan of hot water on the shelf below the bread.
• Let rise until doubled, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Sprinkle with salt to taste.
• Turn on the oven to 375°F.
• Bake the focaccia for 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned on top.
• Remove from the pan, and cool on a wire rack.
• Serve warm.

FOCACCIA BARESE AL POMODORO E OLIVE (HOMEMADE ITALIAN FOCACCIA WITH TOMATOES AND OLIVES)

Steps:

• Place potato into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
• Peel potato; mash in a large bowl with a fork. Pour in flour and mix well with your fingertips. Rub together until mixture is even and free of lumps.
• Combine 1 cup water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl. Mix well and let stand until frothy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 5 tablespoons olive oil.
• Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture; mix, adding remaining 1 cup water a little at a time, until a soft dough forms. Mix in 1 tablespoon salt.
• Knead dough on a clean work surface until smooth and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer dough to a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.
• Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place dough on the baking sheet; stretch into the corners. Arrange tomatoes and olives over dough.
• Mix remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons water together in a bowl. Brush mixture over dough. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon salt on top. Cover with a damp cloth; let rise for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake focaccia on the lower rack of the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lift up with a fork to check bottom is golden brown. Transfer to the middle rack and bake until top is golden, 10 to 15 minutes more. Sprinkle oregano on top.

GRILLED OLIVE AND FETA STUFFED FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Let dough rest on work surface 15 to 20 minutes. Stretch and roll out dough to thin irregular 16x9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle half of dough evenly with crumbled feta cheese, golden raisins, diced Kalamata olives, and 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary; sprinkle lightly with coarsely ground pepper. Fold plain dough half over filling to enclose, forming about 9-inch square. Seal dough edges.
• Sprinkle large piece of parchment paper with flour. Transfer dough to parchment; pierce to release any air pockets. Roll out dough to 11- to 12-inch square. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon flaked salt over; press into dough.
• Using parchment as aid, flip dough over onto grill. Sprinkle top with 1/4 teaspoon flaked salt; press into dough. Cook until bottom of dough is brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn focaccia over. Brush top lightly with oil. Cook until bottom is deep brown and bread is cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn bread over onto cutting board; brush top lightly with oil. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary.

ROSEMARY OLIVE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir in warm water and 2 tablespoons oil. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 minutes. Add olives and remaining rosemary; knead 1 minute longer. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes., Punch dough down and divide in half. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal on greased baking sheets. Roll each piece of dough into a 10-in. circle; place on baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. With fingertips, make several dimples over top of dough., Brush dough with remaining oil. Sprinkle with cheese and additional pepper and rosemary. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

PESTO AND OLIVE FOCACCIA (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Select 1 1/2 pound loaf size.
• Add ingredients except pesto to machine according to manufacturer's directions.
• Select the dough cycle, when the cycle is complete, remove dough, punch down.
• Cover and allow to rest 10 minutes.
• Place dough on greased 11-12" pizza pan.
• Using the palms of your hands, pat dough into an even round just smaller than pan; using your fingertips, poke dough all over to dimple surface.
• Spread pesto over the dough.
• Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place 30 minutes; bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes.
• Serve warm or cool, cut into wedges. Leftovers can be store in the freezer.

PROSCIUTTO, MOZZARELLA, AND OLIVE SANDWICHES ON PARMESAN FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Seed tomato and chop fine. In a bowl stir together tomato, olive paste, and basil. Cut mozzarella into thin slices. Coarsely chop arugula and in a bowl toss with oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Halve focaccia horizontally and spread bottom half with olive mixture. Top olive mixture with mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, and remaining focaccia half. Press focaccia gently and cut lengthwise in half and crosswise into thirds to make 6 sandwiches. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill sandwiches at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

OLIVE AND ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, garlic powder and water until stiff dough forms. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Place dough on surface sprinkled with Bisquick mix; gently roll in Bisquick mix to coat. Shape into a ball; knead 50 times.
• On ungreased cookie sheet, press or roll dough into 8-inch round. Sprinkle olives over dough; press lightly into dough. Sprinkle with rosemary.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Brush oil over top. Cool 10 minutes. Cut into 16 wedges with serrated knife.

OLIVE POTATO FOCACCIA WITH ASPARAGUS MENORAH

Steps:

• For the focaccia: Peel and dice the potato into 1-inch pieces. Place in a medium stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the potato pieces can be easily pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes, reserving 1 cup of the water. Let the water cool until it is warm to the touch (about 100 degrees F), about 10 minutes.
• Mash the potatoes and measure 1 packed cup. You will probably have extra potatoes; I suggest adding some salt, butter and a dash of cream and eating them!
• In a large heatproof mixing bowl, add the flour, reserved water, yeast and potatoes and mix with a wooden spoon to combine. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil and the salt and mix to combine.
• Knead the dough on a clean surface while adding more flour (up to 1 1/2 cups) until your dough is soft and slightly tacky, 5 to 7 minutes. Add in the olives towards the end of kneading.
• Drizzle a layer of oil in a large bowl and coat the dough in the oil on both sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• When the dough has doubled in size, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to a 12-inch round cast-iron skillet or a similar-sized heavy-bottomed pan to coat the pan. Spread the dough into the skillet so it covers the bottom. If it's bouncing back a lot, let the dough rest a few minutes and try again.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can let it rise in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. If you refrigerate it, it won't rise as much. Bring it to room temperature before the next step.
• Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Use your fingers to make dimples in the dough and drizzle with more oil.
• For the menorah: Remove the outer darkest layer of the onion and cut into 3 thin pieces that are 1 1/2 inches long to make up the menorah stand. Dice the rest of the onion layer into 1-centimeter pieces to make a decorative border around the edge of the dough.
• Cut off one side of the red pepper, avoiding the seeds. Trim a 2-inch curved piece to be the very bottom of the menorah stand. Then trim 3 thin flatter pieces that are 1 1/2 inches long to make up the menorah stand. Dice the remaining piece of red pepper into nine 1/2-centimeter pieces to make the candle wicks that will be placed between the asparagus candles and the tomato flames.
• Trim each piece of asparagus to fit the middle of the skillet, making sure 1 piece for the shamash (lighter candle) is slightly longer and the other 8 pieces are of equal length. Place the longer shamash piece on top of the dough in the center, then arrange the other 8 asparagus pieces in a row, spacing them out evenly on each side of the shamash. The shamash should be a little taller and the other asparagus pieces should be the same height.
• Add the 9 diced red pepper pieces on top of the asparagus pieces to make the candle wicks. For the flames, slice the grape tomatoes in half lengthwise, remove all the seeds and place one of them cut-side down above each red pepper piece to make a flame (you'll have 1 grape tomato half left over).
• For the base of the menorah, place a single row of olives below the asparagus, then alternate between the thin slices of red pepper and onion in the center to make the menorah stand. Place the 2-inch curved red pepper piece at the bottom of the stand, curving downward. Finally, make a decorative border by alternating between the remaining olives and diced onion around the edge of the dough.
• Brush everything with oil and bake until very golden brown, about 30 minutes. When done, brush with even more oil and sprinkle with salt. Eat! Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and heat before serving.

PORCINI, OLIVE AND ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Add enough hot water to porcini soaking liquid to measure 3/4 cup if necessary. Heat liquid in small saucepan to 105°F to 115°F. Pour into processor. Sprinkle yeast over. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 12 minutes. Add oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon rosemary. Process 3 seconds. Add 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour and process until moist clumps form, adding more flour if necessary. Mix in olives, using 4 on/off turns. Turn out dough into large bowl. Add porcini and knead until mixed in (dough will be firm and sticky).
• Generously flour heavy large baking sheet. Turn out dough onto sheet. Using floured hands, press out dough to irregular 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle dough with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon rosemary. Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until puffy, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake bread until crusty, about 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• To reconstitute the dried porcini mushrooms:
• Combine porcini and water in medium bowl. Let stand until porcini soften, about 40 minutes. Pour mixture into strainer set over small bowl. Press porcini to release excess liquid. Coarsely chop porcini. Pour soaking liquid into measuring cup, leaving any sediment behind; reserve soaking liquid.

BLACK OLIVE AND ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Stir together the water, sugar, and yeast until dissolved, allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup rosemary, flour, and salt until a dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Gently knead in the black olives during the last few minutes of kneading. Place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet, or sprinkle liberally with corn meal.
• Deflate dough, and press into prepared baking sheet. Brush dough with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss sliced tomatoes, and garlic with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with 2 tablespoons minced rosemary, salt, and pepper. Arrange the tomato slices over the dough in an even layer. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until puffed and golden brown; 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into squares and serve immediately.

OLIVE FOCACCIA WITH PANCETTA AND ONION TOPPING

Steps:

• Combine 1 3/4 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt in processor. Combine 3/4 cup hot water and 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in cup. With machine running, pour water mixture into processor through feed tube. Process until dough forms, then continue processing 40 seconds to knead. Add olives and process to combine. Knead dough on floured surface until no longer sticky, adding more flour if necessary.
• Grease medium bowl with olive oil. Add dough, turning to coat surface. Cover with towel and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 35 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 13-inch pizza pan or baking sheet. Punch dough down. Let rest 5 minutes. Roll out to 12-inch round on flour surface. Transfer to prepared pan. Build up edges slightly. Let rise in warm draft-free area 15 minutes. Dimple surface of dough all over with fingertips and build up edge again. Let rise in warm draft-free area 15 minutes longer.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped pancetta, onion and 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped rosemary and sauté until onion just begins to soften slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove onion mixture from heat.
• Tilt skillet with onion mixture and, with pastry brush, brush bread dough with olive oil in bottom of skillet, using additional olive oil if necessary to coat. Top bread dough with onion mixture. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Bake bread until brown on bottom and edges, about 30 minutes. Cut hot bread into wedges. Transfer wedges to platter. Garnish focaccia with fresh rosemary sprigs if desired and serve.

BASIL AND OLIVE OIL FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and sugar in half of the water.
• On a large surface or large bowl, make a pile of the flours and salt with leave a well in the centre.
• Pour all the dissolved yeast mixture into the well and mix together the flour and water with a fork or fingers. Work from the centre and outward. Add the other half of the water when all the mixture gas soaked up. (more or less water could be used).
• Dust your hands and the surface with some flour. Kneading, rolling, pushing and folding for about 5mins.
• Push the dough into a round shape and dust it over with some extra flour. Put it in a large bowl and score the dough top with a knife.
• Cover with clingfirm, leave it to prove for about 40mins to one and a half hour. (Now it is very important to leave the dough in a warm area, I normally leave it under the sun light or I will bring it into the shower with me -- wherever is warm and moist.) When you see the dough has double its size then it is done.
• Now make the topping with a glove of garlic and a handful of basil ( I used tried Basil). Add together with about 3 tbsp or more of Olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and bit of lemon juice.
• After the dough has double its size then start kneading and punching for a min -- (just think of whoever you hate at that time).
• Split the dough in half, roll each dough to an oval shape about 1/2" thick. Place it on a flour dusted baking tray and smear the basil topping on both tops. Push fingers deeply into doughs to make holes, allowing the flavor to penetrate.
• Leave it to prove the second time for about 45mins or when it become around 3cm high.
• Gently place the baking tray in the middle of the oven ( I baked them one by one, or bake them all together if one single baking tray is big enough) I bake them for about 10mins with 240°C You will know when they turn golden brown.
• Give the bread a good drizzle of some E.V. Olive Oil right after they are out of the oven. Let it cool and enjoy.

EASY NO-KNEAD OLIVE-ROSEMARY FOCACCIA WITH PISTACHIOS RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl. Mix with hands or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. The bowl should be at least 4 to 6 times the volume of the dough to account for rising. 2. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, making sure that edges are well-sealed, then let rest on the countertop for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Dough should rise dramatically and fill bowl. 3. Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour, then transfer it to a lightly-floured work surface. Form into a ball by holding it with well-floured hands and tucking the dough underneath itself, rotating it until it forms a tight ball. 4. Pour half of oil in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or large cake pan. Transfer dough to pan, turn to coat in oil, and position seam-side-down. Using a flat palm, press the dough around the skillet, flattening it slightly and spreading oil around the entire bottom and edges of the pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough stand at room temperature for 2 hours. After the first hour, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 550°F. 5. At the end of the 2 hours, dough should mostly fill the skillet up to the edge. Use your fingertips to press it around until it fills every corner, popping any large bubbles that appear. Lift up one edge of the dough to let any air bubbles underneath escape and repeat, moving around the dough until there are no air bubbles left underneath and the dough is evenly spread around the skillet. Spread olives and pistachios all over the surface of the dough and press down on them with your fingertips to embed slightly. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse salt. 6. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top is golden brown and bubbly and bottom is golden brown and crisp when you lift it with a thin spatula, 16 to 24 minutes. Using a thin spatula, loosen focaccia and peek underneath. If bottom is not as crisp as desired, place pan on a burner and cook over medium heat, moving the pan around to cook evenly until it is crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, allow to cool slightly, slice, and serve. Extra bread should be stored in a brown paper bag at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes before serving.

SUPER QUICK GARLIC & OLIVE "BETTER THAN" FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a medium sized bowl.
• Stir in the olive oil and garlic then add the water or milk to make a dough.
• Knead gently on floured board.
• Roll into round shape and pat onto an ungreased 8" round flat pizza dish, baking tray or put into a pie pan.
• Poke holes all over with your fingers.
• Drizzle with a little olive oil and some grated parmesan cheese and bake for 12-15 minutes in a 400F/200C oven.
• Serve with chopped black olives in the indentations and olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip.

FOCACCIA WITH ROSEMARY AND OLIVE OIL TOPPING

Steps:

• This is my favorite Italian flatbread.
• Stage 1: Dissolve the yeast and honey (or sugar) in half the tepid water.
• Stage 2: On your largest available clean surface (even a big bowl will do if surfaces are limited), make a pile of flour in the center of the flour, semolina flour, and salt. With one hand, make a well in the center. (If possible, it is preferable to warm the flour and semolina flour.)
• Stage 3: Pour all the dissolved yeast mixture into the well and with four fingers of one hand make circular movements, from the center working outward, slowly bringing in more and more of the dry ingredients until all the yeast mixture is soaked up. Then pour the other half of the tepid water into the center and gradually incorporate all the flour to make a moist dough. (Certain flours may need a little more water, so don't be afraid to adjust the quantities.)
• Stage 4: Kneading! This is the best bit, just rolling, pushing and folding the dough over and over for 5 minutes. This develops the structure of the dough and the gluten. If any of the dough sticks to your hands, just rub them together with a little extra flour.
• (You can do Stages 2, 3 and 4 in an electric mixer if you like, using the dough hook attachment.)
• Stage 5: Flour both your hands now, and lightly flour the top of the dough. Make it into a roundish shape and place on a baking tray. Score the dough with a knife--this allows it to relax and proof (rise) more quickly.
• Stage 6: Leave the bread to rise for the first time. Basically, we want it to double in size. (This is probably the best time to preheat the oven: 475 degrees F for focaccia.) You want a warm, moist, draft-free place for the quickest rise, for example near the stove, or just in a warm room. You can cover with plastic wrap if you want to speed it up. This process matures the flour flavor and should take approximately 40 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on the conditions.
• Stage 7: Right, it's double the size and time to punch it down. Knead and punch the dough, knocking all the air out of it, for about a minute. Then split the dough into half or quarters. Roll or push it out to an oval shape roughly 11/3 cm/ (1/2-inch) thick; don't fuss around for perfection, it's supposed to be rough and rustic, so what a great excuse for a beginner! Place on a baking tray liberally dusted with semolina flour.
• Make your rosemary and olive oil topping by bashing and bruising a handful of rosemary and 3 cloves of garlic using a rolling pin. Mix together with some olive oil and salt, and squeeze mixture over the bread. Finally, make those characteristic holes by pushing all you fingers deep into the dough many times, which allows the flavor of the topping to penetrate. Leave to proof for 45 minutes until about 3cm 1 1/4 inches) high.
• Bake for about 15 minutes at your oven's highest temperature until ready. As soon as the focaccia comes out of the oven feed it with a good drizzle of olive oil and a light scattering of sea salt. You can eat the focaccia as soon as it has slightly cooled.

BLACK OLIVE FOCACCIA BREAD

Steps:

• Pour the water into the bowl of a stand up mixer fitted with a dough hook and sprinkle in the yeast. Add 1 cup of the flour and the sugar then stir to combine. Let rest for ten minutes or so, until the yeast activates and bubbles appear on surface.
• Add the rest of the flour, salt, olive oil, pepper, thyme and olives and mix well until dough begins to form a ball. Continue kneading for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a large, oiled bowl, cover with a towel, and rest in a warm place until the dough doubles, about 1 hour.
• Lightly oil your hands then knock down the dough, pressing the air out of it. Knead a few times and then place dough onto an oiled baking sheet. Pull and press dough across pan until if forms a large, flattened circle and vigorously poke dimples into it with your fingertips. Drizzle with olive oil, coarse salt and pepper and let rise a second time until it doubles again, about 30 minutes.
• While you wait preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place in oven and bake until it has formed a golden crust, but is still soft in the centre, about 40 minutes.

LAVENDER & OLIVE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Stir in the honey; let stand for 5 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons oil, salt and remaining warm water. Add 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a large greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down; divide in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape each portion into a 9-in. circle. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make several 1/4-in. indentations in each loaf. Combine the olives, lavender, garlic and remaining oil; brush over loaves. Sprinkle with kosher salt. , Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Serve warm.

CRISPY OLIVE & HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Stir the yeast into a large mixing bowl with the water & let proof for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the olive oil, rosemary, sage, olives & garlic. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the flours & salt & stir until the dough is thick & smooth.
• Knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is firm & elastic. Set the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover with plastic wrap & let rise until doubled.
• Turn the dough onto an oiled 10 1/2" X 15 1/2" baking pan & stretch it to fit. If it won't fit, let it rest for 10 minutes & try again.
• Cover with a towel & leave until it has half risen, about 30 minutes.
• 30 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 400F.
• Just before baking, dimple the top of the dough with your fingerti ps & sprinkle with some extra salt & 2 tsp of oil.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden.
• Slide off baking sheet onto a rack & let cool for a few minutes before eating warm or at room temperature.
• VARIATION: Focaccia Dolce. Substitute 2 oz raisins & 1 oz pine nuts for the olives, herbs & garlic. Soak the raisins in warm water for 30 minutes before using & toast the pine nuts.