When I posted homemade Pizza, Lavi told to try focaccia. Focaccia, if its new to you is nothing but flat bread. There are a whole lot of variations that can be done with the basic plain Focaccia. It can be as simple as plain with only flour, salt and oil or can be topped with onion (like this recipe I am sharing), rosemary, olives, cherry tomatoes, potatoes or sometimes even cheese. Which one is your favourite? Even the thickness and size can vary. If you are a beginner in baking, you can sure try this as its really a basic recipe to try. I took the recipe from a cookbook and have adapted and changed a lot to suit my taste. So the method may not be so authentic. Please excuse. 

Focaccia recipe (With red onion)

Recipe Cuisine: Continental  |  Recipe Category: Breakfast
Prep Time: 30 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins    |  Makes: 9 squares

Ingredients

Bread flour - 1 & 1/2 cup

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Instant yeast - 3/4 tblsp

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Olive oil - 3 tblsp + as needed

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Warm water - 1/2 cup (+ more if needed)

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Sugar - 1/4 tsp

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Salt (sea salt if possible) - As needed

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Onion - 1

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  *You can replace bread flour with all purpose flour / Maida

Method

1. Place flour, yeast, 2 tblsp olive oil, sugar and 1/2 the salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.

2. Mix warm water and gather to make a non sticky dough. Knead well for 5 minutes to make it smooth. Grease the bowl and place the dough covered with a cling wrap. Set aside for 1 & 1/2 hours to let it rise.

3. After 1 & 1/2 hour, the dough would have risen and punch it down again.

4. Roll it to a thick flat bread in desired shape and place it over a lined, well greased baking tray. I used my rectangle baking tray.  Let it sit or another 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, Slice onion and mix it with a tblsp of oil.

5. Till then (1/2 hour) the dough would have risen a little bit and now, make shallow dips using your finger as shown in the picture. Generously drizzle olive oil and spread the sliced onion and sprinkle salt over it.

6. Pre heat oven to 200^o C and bake the bread for 15 – 18 minutes or until the focaccia freely moves in the baking sheet. Let it cool over a wire rack and cut it into squares to serve.

Notes

• Actually, the salt has to be added only as topping, and only a pinch in the dough. But to suit my taste, I added in the dough.
• I tried cooking the onion first and then topping the focaccia and bake, it got burnt, so I recommend to add as such for baking.
• Using any herb will yield a flavourful bread.
• I made it as a whole single bread, but you can also make small round/ oval shaped breads for easy serving.
• If you are using other yeasts such as fresh yeast or dry yeast(1 tblsp), then, dissolve the sugar and yeast in luke warm water and keep aside for few minutes. It should froth and rise, forming froth on the top like a beer mug. then mix this with the flour to make dough.

Makes a wonderful soft and fluffy snack for your kids or for yourself! I had it with strawberry lemonade.

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