Tomato and Garlic Focaccia

EVENT: GUEST POST FOR EVERGREEN DISHES

Sometime back Jayashree, who blogs at EverGreen Dishes asked me to be a guest on her blog. I promised her that as soon as I got back from my trip to India I would make something for her blog. However, time just flew, with me falling sick and then with Navratri and now Diwali preparations. However, I feel bad when I’ve made a commitment and cannot see it through. Jayashree is quite a busy body, she not only has 3 ebooks published but also runs a popular Facebook Group called Desi Bloggers Connect. I got to know her through some food blogger groups that we both are a part of. Her blog is full of  South Indian recipes, a variety of dals and other recipes from different cuisines. She also loves to write poems. Check out her blog for some delicious dishes.

I had decided that I would bake a bread for Jayashree’s blog as I love baking. As a light meal, hubby had suggested I make soup. I asked him to buy some bread on his way back home and he replied ‘ You haven’t baked a bread in a long time’. And he left. So had to put on my thinking cap as to what to bake that will not take too long and too much effort.(does he know I have to make Diwali snacks?)  Focaccia( pronounced as fo-ca-chaa) definitely won the toss over a Middle Eastern bread.

Focaccia is a type of Italian flatbread which has the basic ingredients yeast, olive oil, salt and herbs added to the dough. The topping can vary from plain just with herbs and oil to meat. Here are some ideas for topping that you can use for focaccia:

• caramelized onion
• mozzarella cheese
• tomatoes
• eggplant
• roasted pepper
• mushrooms
• olives
• cheddar cheese
• apple slices with gruyere cheese and onion
• fig and feta cheese
• red grapes with feta
• a sweet focaccia
• pizza sauce and herbs

The options are endless. It is believed that the famous Italian flatbread originated from Ancient Greek culture and Etruscans who lived in what is now Tuscany. The word focaccia comes from the Roman word panis focacius  which means a hearth or fireside bread. Focaccia later on gave rise to the famous pizza. The type of focaccia varies from region to region. Some are extra thin, some are a bit thick and also the topping vary.

Usually, Focaccia is made from plain flour but I decided to use more of the wheat flour and less of plain flour.

TOMATO AND GARLIC FOCACCIA

Makes 12 pieces

For the Focaccia:

2 cups wheat flour (atta)

1 cup plain flour (all purpose flour)

2¼ tsp instant dry active yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1¼ – 1½ cup warm water

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

For the topping:

1-2 tomatoes, sliced

2-3 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp salt, I used Himalayan pink salt

1 tsp dried rosemary or 1 tbsp fresh

extra olive oil for greasing

extra flour for dusting

Preparation of the focaccia:

For the procedure to prepare this easy and yet very delicious focaccia, please check on Jayashree’s blog : here

Tips:

• Use ripe but firm tomatoes.
• Wheat flour tends to need more water so add accordingly.
• Sprinkle sea salt on top instead of Himalayan pink salt.
• Add garlic slices on top if you wish.
• Don’t reduce the amount of olive oil required as you want the base and sides to be a bit crunchy.

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A little request:

If you do try this recipe then please either

• add a comment below,
• send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
•  tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
• or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962

You may want to check out the following Italian Bread Recipes: