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2
- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES
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8
cups water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3
1
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4
cups bread flour
1
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2
teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
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4
teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons SAF yeast
or 2
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2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
Cornmeal or coarse semolina, for sprinkling
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4
cup extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
6 large cloves garlic, minced
Place the dough ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start.
Brush a 17-by-11-inch baking sheet with olive oil and sprinkle heavily with cornmeal or semolina. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Immediately remove the bread pan and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 2 portions. Use the heel of your hand to press and flatten a piece of the dough until it is
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4
inch thick. Lift it onto the pan. Repeat with the other portion of dough. The two portions will fit on the baking sheet with a few inches in between. Brush the tops with olive oil. Cover gently with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until puffy, about 25 minutes.
Twenty minutes before baking, place a baking stone on the lowest rack of a cold oven and preheat it to 450°F.
Brush the dough again with olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic. If there is any olive oil left over, pour it over the top. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Place the pan on the hot stone and bake for 15 minutes, or until the focaccias are nicely browned. Slide onto a rack to cool or serve warm from the oven.
R
oman bread is the house bread at the Casa Vieja restaurant near Arizona State University. My recipe tester, Mary Anne, has made this bread dozens of times to accompany dinner. The onion is added at the beginning with all the other ingredients, so it gets incorporated right into the dough. Sometimes Mary Anne sprinkles it with grated Asiago cheese in place of the salt or with another dried herb, such as basil, before baking. There is never any left over, but if there were, it would be great bread for making stuffing.
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2
-POUND LOAF
For the dough:
1 cup water
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
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3
cup chopped yellow onion
1
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2
teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons SAF yeast
or 2
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2
teaspoons bread machine yeast
For the topping:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1
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2
tablespoons dried rosemary, crushed
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
2-POUND LOAF
For the dough:
1
1
/
2
cups water
4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon plus
1 teaspoon sugar
1
/
2
cup chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon SAF yeast
or 1 tablespoon plus
1
/
2
teaspoon bread machine yeast
For the topping:
1
/
4
cup olive oil
2 tablespoons dried rosemary, crushed
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
To make the dough, place the ingredients in the pan according to the order in according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start.
Brush a large rectangular baking sheet with olive oil. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Immediately remove the bread pan and turn the dough out onto the baking sheet. With oiled fingers or a rolling pin, press and flatten the dough into a 1-inch-thick oval. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes.
Twenty minutes before baking, place a baking stone on the lowest rack of a cold oven and preheat it to 425°F. If you are not using a baking stone, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Using a small, sharp knife, slash the top of the dough with a big tic-tac-toe grid, no more than
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2
-inch deep. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the rosemary. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned. When the bread comes out of the oven sprinkle it with the coarse salt. Serve cut into squares the day it is made, warm or at room temperature.