cheese and herb focaccia

I don't typically think of myself as a baker. I'm much more comfortable chopping and dicing than I am scooping and measuring. This focaccia, however, is easy enough that anybody can make a beautiful loaf of flavorful, fluffy bread in just about no time flat.

The only required equipment, other than the ingredients of course, is a stand mixer. The dough really needs to take a beating while mixing and hand mixers just aren't going to be able to muster enough power to get the job done properly. My Kitchen Aid, affectionately named Trogdor the Mixinator, makes quick work of it and makes me look like a damn good baker.

The cheese and herbs throughout the bread give it a great flavor and also provide some latitude to use a slightly lesser quality olive oil. If you were to omit the cheese and herbs  the flavor of the bread would rely on the olive oil used, but because we can highlight the cheese and herbs it give us a little leeway. I used pecorino romano cheese, basil, and cilantro - but feel free to use whatever cheese and herbs you have on hand. I don't know if the mild nuttiness of cheese like manchego or idiazabal would hold up, but something sharp like pecorino or parmigiana reggiano works fabulously.

I served this the other night with the cream of garden vegetable soup and it was amazing.

Cheese and Herb Focaccia

12 oz (by weight) warm water, about 108ºF

1 oz (by weight) extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

15 oz all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 oz finely grated pecorino romano cheese (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup finely chopped herbs (parsley, basil, cilantro, rosemary, etc)

olive oil

In the bowl of your stand mixer combine all ingredients and beat on medium for 60 seconds. Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into a 12 in cast iron skillet and turn to coat bottom and sides. Pour the batter into the skillet and form it to fit the bottom of the skillet, rubbing hands with olive oil if needed to prevent sticking. Cover lightly with a piece of plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 60 minutes. When dough has doubled in size sprinkle with some kosher salt and drizzle with a little extra olive oil, if desired. Using a finger poke the top of the dough randomly to create dimples. Bake at 375ºF for 35-40 minutes. Let cool in pan for ten minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Comments

[TA]

So good!

[katie]

I have never really been that interested in Focaccia, but I have been seeing so many awesome looking recipes lately that I may need to re-think it. I like the idea of cooking it in the cast iron pan.