Fresh Herb and Shallot Focaccia Bread

This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour’s Blitz Bread: No Fuss Focaccia. Their recipe is pretty spot on, but we have a few suggested changes based on our personal preferences. First, rather than one 9” x 13”, we use two 8” round cake pans (because the crispy edges are the best part of focaccia bread!). Second, we have used thinly sliced shallot, fresh thyme and rosemary, garlic powder, Maldon salt, and black pepper for toppings.

Yield: Two 8” diameter loaves

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 14 3/4 oz. (about 3 1/2 cups) bread flour (such as that from King Arthur)

• 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water*

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon instant yeast

For the Bread

• Two 8” round cake pans

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (2 for the bottom of the pans, 2 for the top of the dough)

• Cooking spray

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced with a mandoline

• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, lightly chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• Maldon salt

• Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine all ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl equipped with a dough hook. Mix on a medium speed and increase to high after the dough just begins to come together (about 1 minute). Scrap down the sides of the bowl and mix for about 30 seconds more.

Prepare the round cake pans by spraying with cooking spray and then drizzling 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of each each pan. Using a spatula, scrape half of the dough into each pan (pile it in the center of each pan). It may not look like enough dough at first, but trust me, it’ll get there! Oil your fingertips with olive oil and lightly press the dough to the edges of the pans. Cover the pans with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise at room temperature for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the dough fills the pans and looks puffy.

Begin preheating the oven to 375°F after the dough has risen at least one hour.

Oil your fingertip again and press it into the puffy dough all over. Evenly arrange the thinly sliced shallot and fresh chopped herbs over the two pans of dough. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top of each dough. Sprinkle with Maldon salt, fresh ground black pepper, and the garlic powder (about 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder on each pan).

Bake the bread for about 25-30 minutes, until it appears lightly browned and fully cooked. If you think the bread needs additional browning on top (we found that it did), switch your oven to broil and cook the bread under the broiler for another minute or so, until browned.

Remove the pans from the oven and set on a rack to cool for at least 5 minutes. Remove the bread from the pans and allow to continue cooling on the rack for another 5-10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Once the bread has fully cooled, tightly wrap any leftovers and store at room temperature, up to about 3-4 days.

Notes

*Water for the dough should be about 105°F to 110°F. To easily approximate this, bring about 6 oz. water to a boil in an electric kettle, pour the hot water into a heat-resistant measuring cup, and top with 6 oz. cold water to reach 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water.