Faith's Focaccia

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This is a recipe shared with me in February 2021. I wrote about it then, however, I never shared it because I get in my own way. After rereading it, I loved that it’s about our friend, Faith sharing her recipes with us at the Aquidneck Grower’s Market. She has now shared a few of her own cookbooks with us and the sweetest hand drawn recipe cards. So, here we go! Cheers to getting out of my own way and keeping the faith that I will get better at all the things and sharing more recipes.

I recently shared with our market customer and now friend, Faith, (once a food columnist for a Cape Cod newspaper) my hesitation with baking my own focaccia. After SEVERAL failed attempts last year, I threw in the proverbial focaccia making towel. The amount of flour I used (and not to mention the flour all over our tiny kitchen) and the time - the hours waiting and hoping for it to rise and develop flavor….it was supposed to be this glorious feeling of bread baking success as it came out of the oven! Sigh, it was not award worthy or even consumable for that matter. The flat oven baked Italian bread was heavy with disappointment along with my heart and it was quickly removed from our flour laden kitchen and landed with a thump below the bird feeder - not once, but TWICE. (I think I lost some of our bird friend’s…hopefully just to other neighbor’s yards!) To say that I swore off focaccia making is an understatement and well, there was a lot of swearing. So, when sweet smiling Faith walks over to me at our local farmer’s market table on Valentine’s weekend with not only the cutest hand illustrated Valentine for us, but her recipe for Focaccia - on her 80th birthday. Well, I had to

“Accept what is, let go of what was, and have FAITH in what will be.”

So, a few days later and with her recipe in hand, I had a little more Faith as I faced the Focaccia and me challenge. I fluffed the flour, scooped, and carefully measured all the ingredients and prepared to make my 3rd attempt at Focaccia. You know what? I just relaxed and enjoyed the creative process of combining the yeast with warm water and sugar and seeing the yeast react and puff up. The ingredients came together willingly to make a plump dough and I placed the smooth ball in my favorite white and blue ceramic striped bowl and covered it with a clean kitchen towel like I was preparing it for sleep. When I peeked under the kitchen towel to witness that it was actually doing it’s job of rising, I may have silently spoken a word of encouragement to both the dough and me. Then, punching down the dough and stretching it to fit my pan, waiting and watching for it to double in size to then my favorite part - DIMPLING the dough….I mean, how therapeutic is this??! The pièce de résistance - taking our olive oil that was simmered with garlic and spooning it on top with a sprinkling of our Bella Napoli blend and now it was ready for the warm oven. After just 15 minutes, out came a goldenly dimpled pan of aromatic focaccia bread ready to tear into to dip into our roasted tomato and garlic sauce. Next time, I will slice some fresh figs, and sprinkle goat cheese and Rosemary and Thyme on top. See what I did there….with time and experience, I have faith that my focaccia making will improve! Thanks to Faith!

Faith’s Focaccia

  • In an electric mixer bowl dissolve 2 tsp. dry yeast in a 1/2 cup 115 degree water. Add 2 tbsp. sugar and 1/2 cup of flour; mix to combine. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

  • Add 2 3/4 cups flour, 3/4 cup water, 3 tbs. olive oil, and 1 tsp. salt; mix well.

  • Beat on low speed using a dough hook until dough leaves sides of bowl, adding more flour if necessary, about 10 minutes.

  • Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

  • Punch down dough and turn out onto lightly floured board. Form into an 11” x 18” rectangle and place in a baking pan of the same size. Cover loosely and allow to rest until doubled, 15-30 minutes.

  • Brush dough lightly with olive oil, then dimple the top with your fingers (I am usually trying to take the dimples out of places ;) ….here, it is therapeutic to add dimples!)

  • Sprinkle with Newport Sea Salt’s pure flaky salt, Rosemary and Thyme, or Bella Napoli which I did here.

  • Bake in a 450 degree oven on a lower rack until golden brown, 12-15 minutes.

  • Remove from oven and enjoy as part of an antipasti happy hour with friends or like me for dinner! ;) Please, no judgement here. ;)