Focaccia bread!

One of our wedding presents was a Panini press. I experimented a little before leaving Savannah, to moderate success. You would think there's not much to it: bread, filling, press, eat. But the trick is getting a bread that will grill up nicely, filling that will stay in place and heat well, and just enough moisture to flavor the panini without getting soupy. Fresh tomatoes are a no-no, as they just get squishy and slide out. Goat cheese or mozzarella are better than sliced deli cheese. Little things like that. I was thinking about what to make for dinners this week, and decided it was time to give the panini press another go. But instead of buying some bread, I whipped up my very first focaccia bread!

Unfortunately, my potter's instinct took over and I kneaded the dough the way I used to handle clay. This is a bad thing because when you're working clay you are actually trying to get the air out of the clay. When kneading bread, you want to work air into it! Live and learn for next time.

Ingredients:
1 C wrist temperature water
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
about 3.5 C flour
dried herbs (I used Italian seasoning)
olive oil (for bowl and brushing on top of dough)

Place the water in a medium sized bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt, then stir until everything dissolves.

Add 3 cups of flour, one at a time, stirring enthusiastically with a whisk. Switch to a wooden spoon then your hands as it thickens. Knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes, adding the herbs and up to a half cup extra of flour to combat stickiness. When the dough is smooth, oil both the bowl and the top surface of the dough. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and transfer to a clean, floured surface. Adding small amounts of extra flour as needed, knead the dough for about 5 - 8 minutes (until it is smooth and elastic). for the dough into a ball and roll into a 10 - 12 inch diameter circle. Let it rise for about 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 400.

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled baking tray and brush the surface of the dough with a little bit of oil and sprinkle more dried herbs on top. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.