Foccacia Bread

Pizza crust is incredibly versatile isn't it? It can be made ahead and stored in the fridge until you're ready to use it. It can be made into bread sticks, pizza, foccacia, dessert pizza...I've even used it for money bread because I like how light and airy this recipe is.

Tomato Basil Foccacia Bread

For the pizza dough:
1 package yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp yeast if you buy the jar)
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups flour
1 tbls corn meal

For Foccacia Toppings:
1 tbls olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried or fresh basil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
5 or 6 thin slices of tomato

Dissolve water, yeast and sugar in warmed mixing bowl (warm bowl by running hot water over bowl). Let sit for a few minutes until the yeast forms a nice froth over top of water. Using the dough hook on your mixer, add salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cups of flour into bowl with the yeast and mix on speed 2 for 2 minutes.

Add additional flour 1/2 cup at a time for 2 minutes until dough pulls away from side of bowl. Mix an additional 2 minutes, still at speed 2. (You will have 6 minutes total mixing time.)

Put dough in an oiled bowl, turning dough so that oiled side is up so your dough doesn't dry out and form a crust. I always place plastic wrap loose on the top of dough then cover with a towel. Let set in a warm, draft free place for about an hour until dough has doubled. (I usually turn oven on at 400 degrees for 2 minutes, then turn oven off and put in my bread. It seems to speed the process up without cooking the dough. Just don't forget to turn the oven off after 2 minutes!)


Oil a 9" round cake pan and sprinkle with corn meal. Press dough in pan to edges and press your knuckles into the dough to form divots. Brush olive oil on top of dough and add tomatoes, then sprinkle basil and salt. Cover with towel and allow to raise a bit to desired height depending on what you are doing with your loaf. For sandwiches, which I made with this particular loaf, I allowed to the dough to double.

Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Check back tomorrow for my most favorite grilled foccacia sandwich! Enjoy!