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Garlic Focaccia – A Scrumptious Bread with Grape Tomatoes and Herbs

30 April 2011 73 Comments

garlic foccasia bread

On a normal day my cooking starts with the main dish and then clubbing the same with the accompaniments according to the taste and cuisine. But there are times I cook in reverse gear too πŸ™‚Β  that is to plan for the accompaniment first and then look out for the main dish to go along with it. This scrumptious Italian bread Focaccia is one such recipe I planned &Β  baked after my whole lentil and mint soup was ready. Quite easy to bake this loaf was my obvious choice, since it takes less rising time than any other yeast breads. And having grape tomatoes in hand added the extra zing to the final baked loaf.

A perfect breakfast treat and a delicious snack Focaccia is a simple, easy and scrumptious Italian baked bread and resembles flat bread. Versatile and quick to bake Focaccia which is a close cousin to Pizza can be given various makeovers with herbs, veggies, spices andΒ  flavorful oils.

Foccasia Bread

Ready to go in the oven…

Ingredients;

  • 11/2 cup wholewheat flour
  • 1 cup refined flour
  • 1/4 cup Olive oil
  • 2 cups of halved grape tomato/cherry tomato
  • 2 tsp. dry rosemary or any herb
  • 1 tbsp. minced Garlic
  • 1/2 tbsp. chilli flakes
  • 1 tbsp. coarse rock salt
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp salt
Foccasia Bread

Grape tomato, garlic and rosemary flavors!

Method: Wash and slice the grape tomatoes into half. Keep them aside. Peel the garlic and chop it finely. Take a small bowl and pour 2 tbsp. of warm water in it. Add sugar and the yeast in the water. let it sand for 10 minutes till it starts to froth.

Take a large vessel and add both the flours in it. Make a well in the center and add the frothy yeast mix in it. Use your hand and mix the flour gently, it will be quite sticky at this stage. Add extra flour and turn on to a flat surface and knead it for 5 minutes.

Take a large bowl and grease it with olive oil. Place the dough in the greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Keep it aside to rise for about 1 hour or more till it doubles in size.

I normally don’t keep Focaccia for second rise, but you can keep it for second rise if you wish. I am happy with the results of first rise.

Preheat the oven at 200Β­Β°C and grease a flat baking tin. Flatten the risen dough over it by stretching it till the end of the baking tin. Poke small hole using your thumb at regular intervals.

Foccasia Bread

Baked delight!

Add the sliced grape tomatoes in each hole. Sprinkle the minced garlic, rosemary or any herb and rock salt evenly over the bread. Drizzle rest of the Olive oil over the loaf.

Bake the Focaccia for 25-30 minutes till it is golden at the top and sounds hollow when tapped.

Foccasia Bread

Tear a peice of loaf and enjoy..

Baked grape tomatoes and crunchy rock salt is the limelight of this bread. I am going to increase the quantity of grape tomatoes in my next bake πŸ™‚

Foccasia Bread

The olive oil infused grape tomato and garlic Focaccia with whole Lentil and mint soup is certainly a scrumptious dinner I had in recent times!

Notes;

  1. I never used rock salt in Focaccia before, but am glad that I did in this loaf and am in love with the crunchy feel it gives to the loaf.
  2. Use fresh herbs if you can, basil, thyme, oregano are great in this bake.
  3. Try crushed black pepper instead of chilly flakes for another spicy flavor.
  4. Focaccia is a wonderful picnic and party food.
  5. Don’t be miser when using Olive oil for this gorgeous bread. It really makes a huge difference.
  6. Replace the refined flour with wholewheat and you may not find much difference in texture (slightly dense) but will get a huge shift towards healthy bake.
  7. I normally don’t keep my Focaccia bread for second rise, but you can keep it for second rise if you wish.

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73 Comments »

  • Nishi said:

    Lovely Focaccia Sanjeeta!!! Now I wanna bake some as well πŸ™‚

  • Raji said:

    That’s one scrumptious bread Sanjeeta..love the flavours and the tomato topping is looking exotic.

  • Sarah said:

    oh boy!! this looks great

  • Nithya said:

    Wow.. fantastic bread πŸ™‚ You are brilliant when it comes to baking. I am awestruck at you most of the time when I see such beautiful preparations that I haven’t even heard in my life time. Got to take this as a task and make few recipes from your blog. Will do tat soon πŸ™‚

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Nithi, thanks my buddy! And I am awestruck when it comes to clicking food pictures.

  • thepickyeater said:

    hey sanjeeta….that looks yummy ! garlic , olive oil and tomato – one of my favorites . your blog has some of the best recipes for indian food πŸ™‚

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Thepickyeater, Thanks for the sweet words, am humbled.

  • Yuri said:

    This focaccia looks fantastic! Love the addition of cherry tomatoes. I’ve been wheatless for so long I am now craving a piece of this bread πŸ™‚

  • Divya said:

    I love Foccacia,never tried making it though.Your recipe[as always] sounds good with wheat flour and Olive Oil!

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Divya, thanks, have been longing to try the cookies you brought to the blogger meet!

  • Swathi said:

    Focacia looks awesome

  • nancy@skinnykitchen.com said:

    Oh wow…I love foccacia and yours sounds wonderful!

  • Priya said:

    Garlic foccacia looks fantastic…simply love to have a slice rite now..

  • Angie's Recipes said:

    I love this classic Italian flatbread! Looks gorgeous!

  • Nitha said:

    Yummy bread..

  • rebecca said:

    looks amazing and should be the center piece of the meal πŸ™‚

  • Krithi said:

    This foccacia bread looks really pretty and healthy… absolutely love the tomato toppin..

    http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com
    Breakfast Club – Pancakes

  • Maria @ Scandifoodie said:

    This looks great, the texture is perfect and the flavour sounds amazing!

  • Mary said:

    What lovely bread. The texture is perfect and I would love to serve this at my table. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary

  • Sharmilee said:

    Looks perfectly baked, tempting too

  • Nandini said:

    Very flavourful and tempting focaccia…Lovely texture!

  • biny anoop said:

    wow amazing baking…..it looks sooo temptg

  • FOODESSA said:

    Sanjeeta…wow. The texture of your focaccia looks incredibly succeeded. Dare I say, even better that how my my MIL makes it. Shhush, let this be our secret πŸ˜‰

    Brava, very impressive results.

    Ciao for now,
    Claudia

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Fodessa. Ha..ha..hope she (MIL) is not tech savvy πŸ™‚

  • sangeeta said:

    Lovely gorgeous focaccia …I use crushed black peppercorns but never used rock salt …will do that next time.
    A griddle version of focaccia has become a recent favorite at our place πŸ™‚

  • Gera@Sweets Foods Blog said:

    I’m big fan of Focaccias more if they are really garlicky. Love this with extra fresh herbs for my taste:)

    Cheers,

    Gera

  • Sra said:

    Sanjeeta, don’t tell me you’re doing all this on vacation? Have been seeing quite a few of your posts since you left!

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Sra, No never..am just hogging and lazying around..there is something called draft thingie..and I am loving it πŸ™‚ Have a lot of food in sleeping mode which I cooked in Chennai!

  • Gourmantine said:

    Your photos are are appetizing! I can’t stop looking at them and a lovely recipe on top of that! Thanks for sharing πŸ™‚

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Gourmantine, thanks for being here and writing sweet note. Much appreciated!

  • Pushpa said:

    Garlic focaccia looking flavorful and delish.

  • elisabeth@foodandthriftfinds said:

    Sanjeeta-Your focaccia is so incredible, and so spongie, and light as a feather. Would love to get a nice chunk of that right now. I always use dried pepper flakes on my focaccia, as well. Superb!!!

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    2Elisabeth, Thanks for appreciating my efforts πŸ™‚ Love the Zucchini Quiche I browsed on your blog!

  • Anna Johnston said:

    Oowwwhhh, I’ve definatly done that too., found an awesome accompaniment & then worked a dish around it. This looks wonderful, I could go a big old slab of that right now πŸ™‚

  • Nelly Rodriguez said:

    This looks delicious, love the cherry tomatoes on it!

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Nell, thanks for visiting! Good to connect on Twitter. Hope to see you more often.

  • marla said:

    Thanks so much for your sweet tweets tonight. I hope you get to try my chickpea cookie recipe. This foccacia looks awesome & I too would love it for breakfast πŸ™‚

  • Suman Singh said:

    Beautiful and delicious looking focaccia!

  • Faith said:

    What a beautiful focaccia this is! I really love the flavors you used…the tomatoes are great in it!

  • Junia @ Mis Pensamientos said:

    oh my, i love focaccia!!! i tried making it once (before i fully understood how to use yeast) and it was a disaster. i shall have to try it again now! πŸ™‚ my favorite is with olive oil and various herbs like rosemary and oregano!

  • Heather @girlichef said:

    This is a gorgeous loaf of foccacia! I love eating foccacia w/ a bit of cheese and maybe meat and some wine…a great meal. Yours looks amazing πŸ˜€

  • Sommer@ASpicyPerspective said:

    Oh my goodness, that looks heavenly. So fluffy and flavorful!

  • Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. said:

    looks fabulous!!

  • Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal said:

    wow, that has come out really well πŸ™‚

  • Ananda Rajashekar said:

    so airy and very perfectly done….very beautiful blend of herbs πŸ™‚

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Ananda, Thanks for checking out all those recipes here and writing your views. Hope you enjoyed your break!

  • Magic of Spice said:

    Your focaccia looks amazingly delicious sanjeeta! And by the way, anything with rosemary calls to me, especially in a focaccia…
    wonderful πŸ™‚

  • pavithra said:

    This is one of my first fav bread ever.. looks scrumptious and the texture is to the perfection sanjeeta….love it totally

  • aipi said:

    I am a BIG foccacia fan too and love this flavor combination in it- perfect bake! Have posted this too πŸ™‚

  • 5 Star Foodie said:

    A super delicious focaccia!

  • Reeni said:

    Your focaccia looks so wonderful! I love your toppings and how thick and crusty it is!

  • Joanne said:

    I love foccacia and this looks so delicious! LIke a pizza almost, with those toppings!

  • Panchpakwan said:

    Wow so flavorful and delicious…

  • Cham said:

    I love the topping -it came out spongy.

  • sweetlife said:

    a perfect fovvacia, love the flavors!!

    sweetlife

  • Ellie (Almost Bourdain) said:

    Your bread looks fabulous! Love the flavour and juicy tomatoes!

  • anushruti said:

    This looks awesome!

  • claudia lamascolo said:

    this is a gorgeous foccacia bread we would love this one here for sure nice job!

  • sukanya said:

    I am big fan of foccacia and this one looks so gorgeous with grape tomatoes, bake to perfection. loved it

    hosting event: summer coolers

  • Tanvi@Sinfully Spicy said:

    Yum! I love focaccia.Yours has come out perfect.The shriveled grape tomatoes look awesome sitting on top.

  • Juliana said:

    Wow, your foccacia looks delicious, love the idea of grape tomatoes, give some sweetness to the foccacia. Hope you are having a great week Sanjeeta πŸ™‚

  • Jagruti said:

    Lovely pics Sanj…yummyyyyyyyyyyyyy

  • Gourmet Chick said:

    I only just made foccacia for the first time a few months ago and really loved it – such a satisfying process.

  • The Cilantropist said:

    Oh I love baking bread. πŸ™‚ The idea of adding halved grape tomatoes is genius, and this sounds like the perfect thing to make after your lentil soup! Off to check out that recipe now!

  • Barbara Bakes said:

    What a great bread. I could make a meal just out of this.

  • lisaiscooking said:

    Foccacia is such a great bread. I could snack on it endlessly. It looks great with the grape tomatoes on top!

  • Heavenly Housewife said:

    Wow, this bread really looks beautiful! I love making bread, there is something so satisfying about it, and I love the smell of bread baking.
    *kisses* HH

  • Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said:

    I love foccacia! Kudos for making your own — looks so good.

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Xiaolu, Thanks for being here! Three cheers to Twitter for letting me know some of the beautiful friends in Food world.

  • Julie M. said:

    Oh boy Sanjeeta. You’ve done it with this recipe. That bread looks mouthwatering! I can almost taste it through your gorgeous pictures.

  • A little bit of everything said:

    love this Italian flatbread and the addition of garlic makes it even more delicious.

  • Kanika said:

    Hi, your bread looks lovely. I tried making it today. But I am a little confused. From your pictures I see that after you had spread the dough in baking pan, you have let it proof so it fluffs up like in the next picture. But you haven’t written anything about the second proof. I baked it right after putting it in the baking pan and it dis not fluff up as much though taste was amazing. Just wanted to confirm if you did the second proofing? Thanks

  • sanjeeta kk said:

    @Kanika, I normally don’t keep Focaccia for second rise as I like my Focaccia to look more like a flat bread…but you may keep for second rise if you wish so.

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