Focaccia Bread

Cooking is a lot like fashion. I don't mean in the sense that you can redesign your outfit by getting flour all over yourself!
In fashion, the key to a great outfit is to mix those WOW designer pieces with other pieces. Being head to toe Louis or Coco just looks tacky. A meal is the same way. You don't have to spend HOURS on each part, just add a great staple to dress up any meal. And what kind of staple? How about a homemade bread? :)

What you need:
1 t sugar (you could also use honey)
1 package of active dry yeast
1/3 c warm water
2 cups flour
2 T or so olive oil
pinch of salt

What to do:
In a small bowl dissolve the yeast & sugar in the warm water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it gets creamy.

Pour the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast/sugar/water mixture and stir together. Begin adding water to the mixture. The original recipe that I modified called for you to do this tablespoon by tablespoon. I usually use a little less than 1/2 a cup. I suggest adding 1/4-1/3 cup and then doing it tablespoon by tablespoon until all the flour is absorbed.
Before kneading the dough, prepare another large bowl coated in oil (I use olive oil). Then begin kneading the dough (I do this in the bowl because I hate making a mess) for about a minute. Transfer the dough to the oil coated bowl. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rise until it doubles in size (at least a half hour, but an hour works better).

After the dough rises, preheat your oven to 475 and grease a baking sheet (or bowl) with oil. Knead the dough briefly and flatten it down a bit. If you make some indents with your thumb on the surface of the dough, they will fill with olive oil and be extra juicy and delicious. Place on the baking sheet and brush with olive oil, sprinkle on salt, and any other seasonings that you like.

Bake the bread for 10-20 minutes depending on how crisp you like it. I find that 10 minutes is perfect, but I'm also burnt-a-phobic. Go nearer to 20 minutes if you like crispier browner breads.

Enjoy!
-Mimi-