Focaccia - is it a trendy, fashionable recent arrival on the artisan bread scene or has it been
lying dormant since ancient history? The truth of the matter is that this bread is as old as recorded history. The name Focaccia
is a derivative of a Latin word meaning hearth. Before ovens became common, this flat bread was baked on a hot stone under
a mound of hot ashes, sort of an ancient hearth.
The tastiest ingredients available at whatever time of year were incorporated
into this rustic flat bread. Bakers with a lot of imagination over the years have elevated this bread to its present status.
If you search enough books on the subject you will find recipes for focaccia with olives, with cheese, with sea salt, from
all different regions of Italy, and on and on.
Ingredients:
2 packages fast-rising dry yeast
2 cups tepid water
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup
salad oil
1 teaspoon table salt
5 1/2 cups unbleached white bread flour
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup olive
oil for topping
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon kosher salt
