Herb Focaccia

I have long had a fear of making yeast breads - something about making sure the water is the right temperature combined with letting the dough rise just freaks me out - it's too exact. But I can say with certainty that this bread helped me to get over that fear. It is the perfect "introduction to yeast"; with an end result of a delicious, herb-topped bread.

The original recipe says to divide into 6 equal portions, but since I needed 8, it was really no problem to just make the individual loaves a little smaller. Just make sure that if you divide this into smaller portions, that you start off with a shorter baking time. I always leave out the olives since Chuck doesn't like them; but I could imagine that they would add a nice, salty flavor to the already delicious bread.

Herb Focaccia
from The Sisters' Cafe
Makes 6 individual loaves

2 packages active dry yeast (or 2 Tb)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
3 cups flour
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped olives
3 tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 teaspoon salt

Herb Glaze
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary or basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Mix yeast, sugar and water in small bowl; let stand for 5 minutes.

Blend remaining ingredients except herb glaze in large bowl of electric mixer; stir in yeast mixture to form a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes (this is easiest with the Kitchen Aid with dough hook but you can also knead by hand) until smooth and elastic.

Place dough in greased bowl; cover and let rise in warm place 1 hour. Grease baking sheet.

Punch dough down and divide evenly into 6 pieces. Shape each piece into 5-inch circle; place on baking sheet. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush tops of each bread with herb glaze and sprinkle lightly with Kosher salt. Bake 15-18 minutes until golden brown.