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The only experience most of us will have with focaccia is a dry piece flatbread served at chain restaurants as an Italian-style appetizer or part of a more ambitious bread basket. Which is a shame, because properly prepared, there are few things in the world more delicious than focaccia. Moist with herb oil and a tender, almost creamy crumb, you won't believe how good it can be.
By properly prepared, I mean you need to have a high hydration dough to get this to work (75%-80%). The recipe I use is very similar to
this raisin bread recipe, though I obviously leave out the dried fruit for more savory ingredients.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirV-983FqlcNMYJKuPMCdbjOqcnYnpZ9NaWdWaOfnCL7CKI77ozEnVWkrypcTR7kgBByhfbDJ65OVOJP1LuLeucb7uH5eQyewK12dBbqvwl-EdxbukhYBb9tQYBYJr3e2S2eKHh8Irnnuc/s1600/Breadmaking+B+2-15-2011+003.JPG) |
Before baking. Sliced tomatoes and plenty of herb oil |
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After baking: note the char. The herb oil cooks the tomatoes a little, too |
A word of explanation about percentages: a 75-80% hydration dough means that if the weight of flour equals 100%, you need to have 75-80% of that weight in water, also. So if you add a pound of flour, you have to add .75 or .85 lbs of water. A more
detailed explanation of baker's percentage can be found here.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenTKwpRrCSgCJd5t8HOsb1Snw4V3Gl1WSJvl5zvNNr5MmUIk5dizdQAKuIzebVSiDiZv9VO5V5RufPzKxU1xIZg5tResQhJS6agoB0TJXD6EaNmdvD_YYlQZNIC8skK998Sc0iwl_97M5/s1600/IMG_20140705_165848_482.jpg) |
Pepperoni pizza focaccia |
Typically, I treat it like a pizza, and put various toppings on it. We'd have it more often,
but it's a bit time-consuming to make: lots of time and care. But it's worth it. Every delicious bite. Make some. You won't regret it.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxa3X9dNQTegohBMFjbYZ4qUgFA6JA9cy7Bi7iNsrkEX3vNdmV21FceKzA1FZV5mCivl28Q673-Uksm6me8V1tHXkki1RlXjrnSARt-bW5ftBpNOHM50-oX1vewYiE0wxXzAahyKV0aIv/s1600/IMG_20140705_165910_544.jpg) |
Left: tomatoes and cheese. Right: tomatoes, sauteed onions and cheese |
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