Garlic, Olives and Dried Mixed Herbs Focaccia

An old recipe rehashed to make a new one.  That's what this one is. We were having soup for dinner and I wanted to make a simple bread to go with it.

I decided to try my Tomato Rosemary Focaccia recipe but with garlic, olives and dried herbs. It did not take me too long and the result was yum. I am reposting the recipe here with the changes.

You need:

• 1.5 cups lukewarm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• 1 tbsp yeast
• A large handful of sliced black olives
• 2 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
• Less 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• More olive oil
• 2-3 pinches coarse salt

Steps:

• Add the first five ingredients into a bowl.
• Beat it for about one minute till it all comes together into a sticky dough.
• Line a 11" x 9" tray with parchment paper and coat it liberally with olive oil.
• Scoop the dough into the tray.
•  Spread the dough into all four corners. Make small indents on the surface with your fingers.
• Cover the tray with cling wrap and set aside for about 1 hour for it to rise.
• After it has risen, arrange the olive slices on the dough.
• Sprinkle the chopped garlic, herbs and coarse salt. Drizzle with olive oil on top.

• Preheat the oven to 190degrees C. Place the tray in the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes.
• Let it cool for 5 minutes and then turn it out into a wire rack to cool.
• Enjoy it warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

• I cut 2" x 1" thin slices of the left over focaccia and toasted it in the oven till crisp. The kids loved to dip it in their soup and crunch on it.

Tomato Rosemary Focaccia

Bread making has become an addiction. I keep searching for simple, new recipes that do not take much of an effort to make.

I wanted to make bread with this recipe that I had bookmarked almost a month back. I had a packet of fresh rosemary that I had picked up at the grocery store last week. I thought of using it with tomatoes in the bread. 

You need:

• 1.5 cups lukewarm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 sprigs of rosemary coarsely chopped
• More olive oil
• Coarse Salt - I forgot to add this

Steps:

• Add the first five ingredients into a bowl.

 

• Beat it for about one minute till it all comes together into a sticky dough.

• Coat a 11" x 9" tray liberally with olive oil.
• Scoop the dough into the tray.

•  Spread the dough into all four corners. Make small indents on the surface with your fingers.

• Cover the tray with cling wrap and set aside for about 1 hour for it to rise.
• After it has risen, cut thin slices of the tomatoes and arrange on the dough.
• Sprinkle the chopped rosemary and coarse salt and drizzle with olive oil on top.

• Preheat the oven to 190degrees C. Place the tray in the middle rack and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Let it cool for 5 minutes and then turn it out into a wire rack to cool.

• Enjoy it warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

• I baked it for 35 minutes. I think 30 minutes would have been enough. I would have preferred it a little less brown.
• The crust of the bread was crisp and the inside was perfectly soft.
• I forgot to add coarse salt. It tasted good, but a bit of the salt would have made it better.
• I did not line the tray with baking paper. It was a bit of a trouble to turn out the bread without breaking it. The next time I would surely line the tray.
• You can use a little larger tray. Your bread will come out thinner.

Butter-Garlic Bread Rolls

Bread making can get very addictive. Once you have made bread at home, you start longing for those amazing aromas of bread baking in your oven.

I made some minor changes to the Garlic and Cheese Pull Apart Bread, and I had these superb rolls ready. The kids loved it. It goes well with soups as well as pastas.

I am reposting the recipe here with the changes that I made.

You need:

• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• Less 1/4 cup melted butter
• 3-4 cloves of minced garlic

Steps:

• In a stand bowl mixer, add sugar and 1 cup warm water. Add the yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes till it activates.
• Now, add the flour and the salt to the bowl and give it a mix with a spatula till it combines well.
• Using a dough hook, knead the mixture on a medium speed for about 6 minutes. Slowly trickle in the remaining water, as required.
• Mid-way through, add the olive oil and the herbs and knead till the dough is elastic.
• Lightly oil a bowl and leave the dough in it covered with cling wrap or a clean towel to rise for 2 hours.
• In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the garlic and keep ready.
• At the end of 2 hours, the dough would have risen to double it's size.
• Punch the dough down.
• Divide it into two parts. on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a rectangle of a little less than 1 cm thickness.
• Brush with the butter and garlic. Roll it breath wise as tightly as possible.
• Brush a round pan with the butter and garlic on the bottom and the sides. 
• Cut it into 1 inch rounds and place it on the readied pan.
• Repeat with the other half of the dough. Brush the remaining butter on the top of the rolls.

• Cover the pan and let it rest for 30 minutes. The dough will again rise.
• Preheat the oven to 180degrees C. Bake it for 25-30 mins until golden brown.
• After about 5-10 minutes, turn it out on a wire rack to cool.
• Serve warm with soup or enjoy it as is.

Notes:

• You can also use all purpose flour.
• If you are kneading the flour with your hand, knead for approximately 10-12 minutes.
• Mix and match herbs of your choice for a different taste each time.
• Bake it for an additional 5 minutes if you want your crust deep brown.
• I used too much butter, hence you can see the bread dough floating in the butter. Use less than 1/4th cup and it will still taste heavenly.
• Be careful when you turn it out to cool, I was not attentive enough and it fell out in pieces :(

Quick Bread Pizza

There are few meals that my son will eat in 20-30 mins flat. For the rest, I spend 20-30 minutes reminding him to eat !!!

Pizza is usually a planned affair at home. I make the base from scratch and we all enjoy yummy thin crust pizzas. But for those instances when I have to make an impromptu pizza, I rely on the faithful loaf of bread.

You need:

• 8 slices of bread
• 1 medium onion, small diced
• 1 small capsicum - diced
• 1/4 cup corn
• Few olives sliced
• Few jalapeños chopped fine
• Less 1/4 cup pasta / pizza sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce / ketchup
• 1 tbsp Ching's Secret chili sauce
• Butter
• Grated Cheese

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200degrees C. In a bowl, mix the tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and the pasta / pizza sauce together.
• Spread out the slices of bread. Butter them slightly. Then evenly distribute the sauce mixture on all the slices.
• Evenly spread out all the vegetables on top.
• Top up with the grated cheese.
• Place on a baking tray and bake for about 8-10 minutes till the cheese melts and the bread has browned from the sides.
• Cut into triangles. Serve hot with ketchup.

Notes:

• Skip the jalapeños while making for kids.
• You can use whole meal or the regular white bread. I used the regular one as my son does not like whole meal bread.
• You can also use baby corn, zucchini, mushrooms or pineapples as toppings.
• It is fun to get the kids to make their own pizzas. They love to add their own toppings and that way you can be sure they will eat their veggies.
• Cut into tiny triangles or squares and you have the perfect starter ready for your parties.

Garlic Bread with Cheese and Herbs

The kids have their two week break. The days seems so long and also flying by at the same time. Trying to pack lots of activities into the day to make it fun for them - Lego building, drawing and painting, play dough time, out door activities..... Phew !!!! It's tough keeping up with their energy levels sometimes :)

In the midst of all the fun, I am also trying to cook up some fun food. I saw this recipe while reading through some food blogs and I thought the kids would love it.

You need:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1.5 cups flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup cheese

Steps:

• In a bowl, add warm 1/2 cup water to the sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes till it gets activated.
• Add 1 cup flour, 1 tbsp oil and mix well. Leave it covered to rise for about 45-60 minutes.
• After it has doubled, punch it down and add the remaining flour, garlic salt and mix well.
• Knead well for 5 minutes on a stand mixer or for about 10 minutes by hand.
• Leave the dough in a well oiled bowl covered by cling wrap to rise for about an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200degrees C.
• Punch the dough down and place it on a floured surface. Roll it into a circle of about 1 cm thickness.
• Top with grated cheese. Fold it into a semi-circle.

• Cut it into 1 inch or lesser strips. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on the top and sprinkle the seasonings over it.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes till light brown in colour.
• Enjoy warm with soup or any dip.

Notes:

• You can use 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp minced garlic if you don't have garlic salt.
• You could add finely chopped capsicum and corn with the cheese as a filling.
• Please excuse the lack of pictures. With two children around my feet, its tough to click pictures as I am cooking. I will update the pictures the next time I make it, which will for sure, be soon :)

Garlic and Cheese Pull Apart Bread

Nothing can better the fragrance of bread baking in the oven. The home smells so inviting.

After baking a cake, the next I wanted to do was bread. I ate this bread first at my friend Durga's home. When she posted the recipe on her blog, I just had to try it. I have baked it numerous times since with a number of variations to it. Each time it has been perfect.

It is easier to get my kids to have soup if this bread is there on the dining table !!!


You need:

• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 and 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 3.5 cups bread flour
• Less 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
• 3-4 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/4 cup packed grated cheese

Steps:

• In a stand bowl mixer, add sugar and 1 cup warm water. Add the yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes till it activates.
• Now, add the flour and the salt to the bowl and give it a mix with a spatula till it combines well.
• Using a dough hook, knead the mixture on a medium speed for about 6 minutes. Slowly trickle in the remaining water, as required.
• Mid-way through, add the olive oil and knead till the dough is elastic.

• Lightly oil a bowl and leave the dough in it covered with cling wrap or a kitchen towel to rise for 2 hours.
• In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with the herbs and garlic and keep ready.
• At the end of 2 hours, the dough would have risen to double it's size.
• Punch the dough down. Pinch small balls of the dough and place it around the bundt pan that has been lightly brushed with the garlic and herb butter.
• Once to have arranged a layer of the dough balls, brush it liberally with the butter.
• Then sprinkle the cheese all over the top.
• Then arrange a second layer of the dough balls on top of the cheese.
• Liberally spread the remaining butter n the top.

• Cover the pan and let it rest for 30 minutes. The dough will again rise.
• Preheat the oven to 180degrees C. Bake it for 25-30 mins until golden brown.

• After 5-10 minutes, turn it out and let it cool.
• Serve warm with soup or with just marinara sauce.

I had turned the bread inside out and baked it for an additional 5 minutes to brown the inside also.


Notes:

• You can also use all purpose flour.
• I used proccessed cheese. The perfect cheese would be parmesan.
• You can also bake this in a regular round or square cake tin. The Bundt pan just gives it a good effect.
• If you are kneading the flour with your hand, knead for approximately 10-12 minutes.
• Add more cheese, it's totally delicious. You can also omit the cheese totally.
• You can leave out the garlic if you don't like the taste of garlic.
• Mix and match herbs of your choice for a different taste each time.
• Bake it for an additional 5 minutes if you want your crust deep brown.