Focaccia caprese / Rosemary and onion focaccia

Focaccia is the bread, I always wanted to make since I started baking. It is said to be a very easy one, and one of the very first bread, you should try when you start learning bread baking. I am learning to bake a bread a month, since I joined +Aparna Balasubramanian 's bread baking group and this is the bread we are baking in January 2014. Focaccia is kind of a flat bread which originated in Greece, though it is made in different ways in different parts of Italy. There is even a sweet version.

Focaccia Caprese

Rosemary and Onion focaccia

It looks similar to a pizza, some of the differences are that focaccia is usually has a thicker and more spongier crust and pizza has a thinner and crispier one. Focaccia is usually topped with herbs, oil and garlic and pizza has different toppings. Focaccia is served warm or at room temperature and pizza is generally served hot, right off the oven... well, that's the trivia and more about it here.....:)

I made Focaccia Caprese, a version of focaccia made in the Capri region of Italy. The toppings used for this version of focaccia are tomatoes, fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella cheese. I also had some fresh rosemary leaves, so I made another one with the topping of herbed oil, rosemary and onions. Both, versions of bread were very tasty and were gobbled down by all of us in matter of minutes. I served it with "Couscous and chickpea salad" and it was a wonderful meal. Recipe adapted from "The kitchen whisperer" 

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp of sugar
• 3 and 1/2 cups of bread flour(I used regular all purpose flour)
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 to 1 and 1/2 cup warm water
• A little more olive oil to knead and brush on the dough (1-3 tsps)

For the herbed oil:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp of mixed dried italian herbs like dried basil, oregano, etc
• 3-4 garlic cloves grated
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the topping:

• 2 tomatoes cut in thin slices
• buffalo mozzarella cheese cut to disks(I used the regular mozzarella)
• fresh basil leaves to garnish
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 onion cut to discs, or chopped to thin long slices and separated.

Recipe:

• Grate the garlic and whisk all the ingredients for herbed oil together and keep it aside.

• You can make the dough with hand or by machine.
• Take the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and oil in a food processor or a large bowl.

• Mix them well, with hands or a whizz in the machine for about 30-40 seconds.
• Add water and continue mixing, till it comes together as a non sticky dough.
• Take it out in a well oiled bowl and knead with hands for about 2-3 minutes till it comes together as a smooth ball of dough. 

• Keep it aside, covered with a plastic wrap or kitchen towel till it doubles up in volume. It will take about an hour or hour and half.

• I used a rectangular pan 22 cm by 18 cm and a square pan with 20 cm sides.
• Divide the dough according to the size of the pan u use. I divided the dough in 3 parts.

• Oil the pan and stretch the dough by patting it. Top with a tsp of olive oil and keep it to rise for another 20-30 minutes.

• Make some dents/dimples on the surface of the dough with your finger and pour about 2-3 tsp of herbed oil on top of the dough.

• Bake it for 18-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 210 degrees centigrade.

• Take the focaccia out when the top is golden.

• Get the ingredients ready for topping. Slice tomatoes and cheese to thin slices. Wash and clean the basil and rosemary. Chop the onions.

• Layer mozzarella slices, tomatoes, rosemary and onions and top with more herbed oil. 

• Increase the oven temperature to 230 degrees and bake for another 5 minutes till the mozzarella is melted and the top is golden brown.

• Serve cut into slices or squares warm or at room temperature.

Quantity:

• about 3 focaccia breads... 2 of 22cm*18cm and 1 square pan size of 20 cm.
• serves 4 people along with a side comfortably.

Notes:

• You can make 4 small individual serving breads. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions are roll them(press them) to 5 by 7 inch ovals.
• Cut them out in squares or slices for easy "pick me up" snack.

Khaliat Nahal (Honeycomb buns or Bee Hive's buns)

Khaliat Al Nahal is a middle eastern bread. It means Bee's hive in Arabic, known for it's honeycomb like looks. The buns are baked close to each other in a round pan ...which forms a honeycomb like pattern. They are traditionally made with a sweet stuffing, dunked in honey flavored sugar syrup, though buns with savory stuffings are also made. This bread is made during fasting period of Ramadan, and is served during the evening meal after the day's fasting is over.

This was September 2013 bread, at "We knead to bake" -- bread baking group with our host +Aparna Balasubramanian .

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup lukewarm milk
  
• 1 and half tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 and half cup all purpose flour (I used bread flour)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 40 gm unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp milk for brushing on top of the bread
• For the filling:
•  1 pack cream cheese(about 250 gms)
• For the sugar glaze: 
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• A pinch of saffron
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp lime juice

Recipe:

• Heat milk in a microwave for about 40 seconds. 

• Add yeast and sugar to it. Stir it well and keep it aside.

• Melt the butter and keep it aside to cool.
• Keep 1/2 cup of flour aside.

• Add remaining two cups of flour to the food processor bowl, along with sugar and salt.
• Process for about 20 seconds till everything is well mixed.

• Add melted butter and process again for 20 secs.

• Add the yeast and milk mix to the processor bowl.

• Process for about a minute till everything is mixed well.

• Add the remaining half cup of flour, about a tbsp at a time and process till everything comes together as a soft dough.

• Take out the ball of dough in a well oiled bowl and knead with hands for a few seconds.

• When it becomes a smooth ball of dough, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it aside about about an hour or till it doubles in volume.

• Once the dough has risen, take it out, divide it into small pieces.
• I measured all the pieces to about 20 gms so as to get even balls.

• Cut the cream cheese approximately to a tsp blocks.

• Take a piece of dough, flatten it out and put a tsp of filling of cream cheese on it. Pull up the sides of the dough, enclosing the cream cheese in it and pinch the ends on the top. Roll it to a smooth ball. 

• Repeat with other balls of dough, till all the filling and the dough is used.
• Put all the balls with filling in concentric circles in a greased round cake tin, so as to get a honeycomb like pattern. I used 11 inch round tin.

• Cover the cake tin with a wrap and let the dough rise for the second time, for about 40 minutes.
• The balls will get bigger and stick closer to one another.

• When the dough is rising the second time, make the sugar glaze. 

• Mix the sugar, water and saffron in a pan and heat it for about 5 minutes, till the sugar thickens to a syrup. Turn off the heat, add honey and lemon juice. Keep it aside to cool.

• Brush the top of the dough balls with milk.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 20-25 minutes till the tops are golden.

• Pour the sugar syrup on the warm buns. I chose to drizzle about 2-3 tsps of syrup on the buns with a spoon. 

• Serve warm with tea/coffee.

upside down buns.... 

Quantity:

• Makes about 35 buns.

Notes:

• You can check out this video link to see how it is made.
• You can add flavors to the cream cheese, like more sugar/saffron/other spices or fruit and nuts.
• You can make savory fillings like potato, paneer,chicken,  or even stuff it with chocolate.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, if making savory stuffing.

that's my son grabbing the bun... :)