Sea Salt and Rosemary Focaccia Bread

The opportunity to visit abroad countries had given me to taste many international dishes and delicacies. I have tried few easy dishes from them at home.Once I tasted this Italian focaccia bread from a local shop nearby during my stay there in abroad. It was the garlic one and it tasted so good. I liked the flavor and enjoyed eating it.



After that I tried it at home after getting a recipe from here. I used the rosemary and sea salt for topping for the homemade version. Overall it is a good recipe to try and relax.

Basic Information:

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Idle Time: 1 - 2 hours

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4-5



Ingredients:



For Focaccia Bread:



Bread Flour / Plain Flour / Maida / All Purpose Flour - 2 and 1/4 cups

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Sugar - 1 teaspoon

Active dry yeast - 1 packet / 7grams

Olive oil - 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon for greasing

Lukewarm water / Milk  - 1 cup or as required to make soft dough



For Topping:



Olive Oil - 3 tablespoons or as required

Sea salt - 1 teaspoon or as required to sprinkle

Rosemary - 3 tablespoons or as required to garnish

Method:



1) Take lukewarm water/milk in a bowl and mix both yeast and sugar. Keep it aside in a warm place until it get frothy. It will take approximately 7 minutes.

2) Now take a wide mixing bowl and mix flour and salt. Slowly add the foamy yeast mixture to the flour and make a dough.

3) Add olive oil and knead it till you get very soft, moist, smooth, elastic dough.

4) Grease the mixing bowl with the oil. Coat the elastic dough with oil and keep it in the oil greased mixing bowl.

5) Cover it with a damp cloth or cling wrap and keep it in a warm place. Let it rise for an hour and until it becomes double in its size.

6) Punch it back and add little oil.

7) Place the dough in the baking tray covered with baking sheet. Form 1/2 inch thick rectangle or oval shape.

8) Cover it again using cling wrap. Let it sit for 10-20 minutes for the second rise. After 2nd rise, it will be in 2 inch thickness approximately.

9) Apply olive oil on top of it. Use more oil if you wish.

10) Place the rosemary on top of it and sprinkle some sea salt.

11) Place the tray inside the (205C or 400F) preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the bread turns golden brown and spreads out nice aroma to the entire kitchen.

12) Cut into slices and enjoy warm.

Note:

1) Depends on the texture of the flour you may require more or less water/milk to make smooth dough.

2) Try to use good quality flour and olive oil for perfect focaccia bread.

3) Alter topping for this bread as per your taste instead of rosemary and seasalt. Other topping suggestions: Caramelised onion and tomato, garlic and herbs, Olive and herbs. You can also use cheese.

4) Transfer the bread from the baking tray within 2-3 minutes to keep the bottom of the bread crispy.

5) Use only the tender rosemary leaves to avoid bitter taste of it. Don't use the woody stem of it.

Q & A on How to Find a Great Residential Spaceplanner

Q. 

Hi Peggy,

I just read a post of yours from 2007 about the difference between a kitchen designer and a kitchen (or residential) space planner.  Boy, did that hit home!  But how to find a really good space planner, and how to know you've found one before spending money on plans or schematics that don't get the job done?  I desperately need a residential space planner, and I am struggling with how on earth I can really figure out who is qualified as such! 

I have a tight space (kitchen dimensions are 12' x 12'10", with a skinny island and just 37" of clearance on each side), with one side completely open to the family living area/entrance, another door to the dining room and another door to the mudroom/garage, which is the main pathway in and out of our house. 

Just by reading my dimensions, you'll know that my kitchen is at least a foot too narrow at the 12'10" dimension to have a truly workable island and adequate counter space and storage.  I need a brilliant space planner (should I say, "magician"?) to help me rearrange and/or steal space, possibly from an office/library/den behind the kitchen, which is also beside the mudroom/laundry area.... but then I'll have a kitchen that is longer, but no wider, and it will also turn around a corner, so that I retain some counter space.  Plus, I'd like to keep some of that office/library/den space, if possible.  I have been stewing about this space for more than a decade, and have even had a couple of kitchen designers take a run at it, but no one can figure out what to do! 

Almost all architects and kitchen designers will stand strong on their ability to do brilliant space planning, but I have concluded that excellent residential space planners are rare.  So, how do I find one?  How can I really know who among the so-called "experts" in my area (Denver, Colorado) really are good space planners, before I shell out more design fees?  I don't think there's any designation for training in space planning, is there?

If you could provide any tips or guidance for me about how to hone in on someone who can really do the space planning job, I'd sure appreciate it.  I hope you don't mind me reaching out through cyber-space to ask this question.

Thank You!

Mary Anne

Denver, Colorado

A. 

Thanks for your question Mary Anne.

I'm afraid I can't write anything that's going to release you from doing lots of due diligence to find a great space planner in your area. 

You can find a general synopsis of the process on this page of my web site at kitchenartworks.com. It takes a lot less time and effort to type out the following:

"Assemble a list and get on the phone and start interviewing. Share your budget and general needs, ask for references and follow them up with calls and visits to previous projects."

than it does to do the work involved. It's a very difficult process, but you're halfway there! You already know the kind of designer you DON'T want.

Once you really get into the interviewing, calling references and reviewing past projects, you'll see, as you have with your past contacts with design pros, that you can tease out the information you're after without going so far as to have to shell out design fees. 

After all, you're not asking them to do design work for you. You just want them to respond to questions in a phone interview and provide references. Every designer should be willing to do that without charging you.

You can ask for a particular kind of references. In this case clients who had difficult space planning challenges. Your target design pro should be delighted to show off such projects, and the references should also be willing to help you understand how unbelievably bad their kitchens were before.

If you ultimately can't find anyone good locally, you may have to range farther afield. I did a kitchen once in Guam. And, believe me, I didn't travel there. These days that shouldn't be a problem with email and the Internet to help.

As to your question about a designation or training for a specialty in residential space planning? Many years ago, fellow designer Mary Fisher Knott started an organization called Residential Space Planners International, RSPI. I think she's the only one left! So no. I don't believe there are any current organizations to help you.

Peggy

ALAPPUZHA VEGETABLE CURRY

When I was enjoying with my family in a five star resort at the back waters of Alappuzha a few years back, I happened to taste this delicious dish served in the buffet. I have appreciated and also requested the chef the recipe for this dish which he obliged magnanimously!  

Whenever I prepare this side dish in my home, the quantity of chapathies I make usually would always increase! The combination of the vegetables and the few different spices enhance the taste tremendously. The chef named it as ‘Mixed Vegetable curry’ and I have renamed as ‘Alappuzha vegetable curry!”

 

 

ஆலப்புழை காய்கறி மசாலா

Ingredients:

Green beans- a handful

Big carrot-1

Chopped spring onion- 1 cup

Diced capsicum-1 cup

Finely chopped cabbage- ½ cup

Sliced baby corn- 1 cup

Chopped coriander leaves- ¼ cup

Mushroom [sliced] - 2 cups

Finely chopped onion-1

Crushed tomatoes-4

Slit green chillies-4

Finely chopped ginger- 1 tsp

Finely chopped garlic- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- half sp

Salt to taste

Oil- 3 tbsp

Ajinamoto- ¼ sp

Soya sauce- 1 tbsp

Coarsely ground pepper powder- half sp

Milk- 2 cups

Thick coconut milk- 1 cup

Procedure:

Heat a big pan and pour the oil.

When the oil becomes hot, add the onion with the green chillies, ginger and the garlic.

Sauté well and then add the tomatoes with the turmeric powder.

Fry for a few minutes and then pour 3 cups of water.

Add all the vegetables one by one with enough salt.

When the vegetable are half cooked, pour the milk.

After a few minutes, add the ajinomoto, soya sauce and the pepper.

Let the gravy cook for a few seconds.

Lastly add the thick coconut milk.

When the gravy starts simmering, put off the fire and mix well.

The delicious Alappuzha curry is ready!!