Fast Foccaccia
All you need is some flour, fresh or dried herbs and a food processor then home-made foccaccia can be yours!
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) traditional active-dry ** check **yeast
4 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano (2 tsp dried)
1 tbsp fresh chopped basil (2 tsp dried)
1 tbsp fresh chopped sage (2 tsp dried)
2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary (1 tsp dried)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
5 tbsp olive oil
Coarse salt
In a 2-cup measure, whisk together water and yeast. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade add flour, herbs, salt and pepper. Process briefly to mix. Whisk 2 tbsp of olive oil into yeast mixture. With the machine running, pour yeast, water and oil mixture down the feeding tube in a slow steady stream and process until the flour forms a ball. Scrape dough out of the processor and into a large, oiled mixing bowl. Cover bowl with a towel or oiled plastic wrap. Let it rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 450 °F.
On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half. Shape each piece of dough into a 7-inch x 10-inch rectangle and transfer to a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Cover with towels or oiled plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes. Dimple dough with your finger every square inch. Baste both foccaccia with remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake in oven for 7 minutes. Switch bottom pan to upper rack and vice versa. Bake another 5-7 minutes or until foccaccia are golden brown on top. Let cool on a baking rack.