Rosemary Focaccia

This is a pretty easy recipe that smells heavenly while it is baking.  It goes great with pasta or as an appetizer with some pesto or marinara for dipping.  You can also load it with toppings and make a meal out of it.  So many possibilities!



2 1/4 teaspoon (or 1 package) yeast
3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
olive oil for drizzling
freshly grated parmesan (optional)

Mix yeast, water, salt, and sugar in a bowl and let sit until bubbly (about ten minutes).  Add flour and about half the rosemary and mix well.  Depending on your flour, you may need to add a little more water to the dough.  If it seems overly dry and crumbly, add just a little water and remix.  Continue until you get a non-sticky, non-crumbly dough.

Place on lightly floured workspace and knead until smooth.  Coat large bowl with oil and place dough in and then flip over so the entire dough is coated with oil.  Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled (about 1 1/2 -2 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen).

Preheat oven to 425.  Punch dough down to release gases and place on an oiled baking sheet.  Flatten out into a circle or oval and using your fingertips, poke dimples into the dough. Drizzle with oil, remaining rosemary, and a generous sprinkle of coarse salt.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the top is a nice golden color.

Note - I added a little parmesan to the dough when I added flour and rosemary and again to the top just before baking. I didn't measure it but just grated a little to the mixture.