Yes, I’m aware that today is not Monday and that this post contains no macaroons. However, I decided to heed Heather’s call and take part in Hangry Pants‘s Macaroon Monday challenge. The link has the full deets, but the nut-shell version is that she is challenging bloggers to try making a new-to-them food item. For her, the item is macaroons. I chose something a little less sweet:
Focaccia!
I’ve had a goal of learning to make yeast breads in mind for a while, and this challenge afforded me a perfect opportunity.
To be fair, I did make yeast bread once before, but it was not a success. This time, I chose a totally different recipe and technique and dove right in. The instructions are care of the divine Miss Pea. First, you let the hungry yeast bathe in some water and brown sugar:
Yep, smells like yeast. Once it’s all dissolved, you add the other ingredients and knead. Try not to sing “I knead you now, woh oh oh, more than words can say.” Or go ahead. In the end, it should form a nice ball:
Let it rise for a bit. I left it alone for just over an hour.
It’s like magic! No, really, it is. From here, you make it into a round shape, drizzle on some olive oil, and pat on some chopped fresh rosemary and some salt. Plop it in the oven:
The directions say it’ll take about 15, but mine took longer. I baked it for 15, and it looked done on the outside, but it was still doughy on the inside. It may well be my temperamental oven or my crappy baking sheet. I ended up adding 10 or so more minutes to get the lovely end result.
Fluffy on the inside, crusty on the outside.
This was such a fun experience that I can’t wait to try out more yeast breads. Pretzels and cinnamon rolls are both on my radar now, as well as a more traditional French bread.
