Herbed Foccacia
 A
wonderfully easy bread to make - don't be intimidated by the fact
that it's a yeast bread.
1 packet active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 1/2cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup fresh basil, rosemary, or sage, roughly torn
4 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
- Mix yeast with water and sugar and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Mix together flours, salt, and herbs in a large bowl.
- Add in yeast-water mixture and 4 Tbs. of the oil and mix until
a rough dough forms.
- Knead for 10 minutes or untill dough is smooth and elastic.
- Form dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl to
rise, covered by a clean towel, until doubled in size, approximately
two hours.
- Punch bread back down and roll into a 12-inch round. Alternately,
divide dough into 4 portions and roll into 6 inch rounds.
- Place on lightly oiled baking sheet and allow to rise slightly,
about 30 minutes.
- Spread remaining 1/2 Tbs. of oil on top of bread and bake in
400° oven for 25-30 minutes (10-15 minutes if making smaller
loaves) until golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow
when tapped.
Serve with olive oil and eat plain or top with freshly-grated asiago
cheese before it goes into the oven in step 8. This bread is also
fabulous for sandwiches. Just split a slice through the middle and
fill with roasted red peppers, spinach, and gorgonzola cheese, then
broil, open faced, for about 2 minutes.
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