Garden Focaccia
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 3 hours
Serves: 8-12
Grow a garden…in your oven with a loaf of family-friendly focaccia bread, topped with your very own vegetable garden! This easy yeasted bread is a showstopping addition to your brunch meal. Make a sunflower out of bell peppers, grass with fresh rosemary sprigs, and a grape tomato sun for a recipe that the whole family will love!
Equipment
Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
Ingredients
Bread Dough:
1 ⅓ cups of water
1 pkg active dry instant yeast
1 tbsp honey
3 ½ cups flour
1 tbsp sea salt
½ cup olive oil, divided
1 tbsp dried rosemary
Garden ingredients:
Chives
Dill
Parsley
Olives
Cherry tomatoes
Bell peppers
Shallots
Garlic cloves
Preparation
Combine water, yeast, and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 8-10 minutes. It should appear foamy or you may need new yeast.
Add the flour, sea salt, and ⅓ cup oil. Using the dough hook, mix until a dough forms, about 6-8 minutes. It will be sticky, add up to ¼ cup extra flour, if needed. If you do not have a stand mixer, mix in a large bowl, and knead by hand for 8-10 minutes.
Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Line a 9x13 pan with baking paper and remaining olive oil.
Transfer the dough to the pan. Stretch and press the dough to cover the pan with your fingers, making “dimples” in the dough. Flip the dough to ensure an even coating of olive oil. Cover and let rest for an additional 20-30 minutes.
Press your fingers into the dough to dimple again. Arrange vegetables to look like a garden scene using herbs, cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves, shallots, peppers, and asparagus.
Sprinkle it with sea salt.
Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 400°F, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden. Let cool in the pan.
Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Get your little ones involved by dimpling the dough, and creating their dream garden scene!