I've never made bread from scratch until this Easter. It took me the whole Saturday afternoon trying to figure out how to do it and debating with myself why I should bother making it when the bakery is just a block away and I could just grab a nice fresh loaf then make sandwiches for my Sunday Easter lunch. I used the basic focaccia recipe from my cookbook called "The Food and Cooking of Italy: A Journey for Food Lovers".
The recipe is for regular white bread but just like everybody else, we're trying to eat a little healthier so I decided to go for whole wheat even if I've never ever made bread before and had no idea how whole wheat flour would behave. It was easier than I thought it would be. I substituted the flour but I used the same exact measurement for the basic dough recipe and this time I made sure I follow the instructions to a T. I wasn't particularly fond of the smell of yeast but it was satisfying to see it do its job and watch the dough rise. I made the dough in the afternoon then left in the fridge to rise. Thankfully I had to leave and go to a friend's house for cocktails, otherwise I would have been checking up on it every 10 minutes lol! The following day, I punched it, yeah, literally punched the dough back to its original size, cut it in two portions and then rolled it out and shaped both portions into foccacias, placed them in baking sheets and covered them with saran wrap to rise for an hour before baking like the book says.
I wasn't sure how the bread would taste like so I thought I'd try and make it more interesting. I didn't have a recipe but took the inspiration from an Italian anti-pasto plate. I bought some pitted kalamata olives, some sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese then added some fresh rosemary and thyme. I mixed all of these together, drizzled the mixture with some olive oil and black pepper then spread it on top of both the foccacias and baked both of them for 25 minutes in 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I was afraid my bread would turn into an inedible goo or something but it turned out really tasty specially fresh out of the oven. It was a great learning experience and I would definitely try and make my own bread again. It was a very satisfying experience and I'm looking forward to doing it again. I probably posted way too many pictures but whatever, it's a milestone for me so I thought I should capture every minute of it and bask into the bread making glory lol! ;-).
making bread is one great challenge, but it's all worth it... the yeast causing the dough to rise and double its size never cease to fascinate me everytime.. congratulations, your efforts seem to have paid off. your bread looks like a pizza w/o the loads of cheese! looks good!
ReplyDeleteThat's one nice and yummy bread you made. It looks very attractive and I would bet delicious.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a nice Easter!
Btw, I linked you to my blogroll and thanks for visiting my blog, too!
Hi Dennis, may I please have a peek at your Manila Then And Now Blog? I think it's only open to invited guests. I would really love to see it. I get a little homesick now and then so I kind of crave a little peek of Manila, I even watch silly videos on Youtube lol!
ReplyDeleteHi Jescel, wow you are quite the cook aren't you? Your pictures are awesome too. I took a stroll at your blog and I swear if I can eat your food pics, I will ;-). I love challah, I get mine at a place called Bubby Rose. They bake their bread on schedule and sometimes I even phone ahead to make sure they reserve a loaf or two for me. I use hallah for my bread pudding, it works well because it's eggy and adds to the creaminess of the pudding.
ReplyDeleteNice call with the whole wheat. I'll bet this bread tasted as good as it looks. Pictures are great, and I'm glad you'll be trying it again. I think bread baking is SO gratifying.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great Easter!