No-Fuss Focaccia (KA Flour Video)

I love instructional videos; here King Arthur's Susan Reid shows how to make a "no fuss" focaccia, that's quick and easy. Great for sandwiches. Simply split away the baked top, pile on thinly sliced meat, layer with some lettuce and toppings. Cut into serving portions (makes 4-6 servings, as sandwiches). Any leftover focaccia, if there is any, broil up into fine croutons for salads too. The additional recipe below this one, adds in garlic and pepper jack cheese. Great additions! Enjoy. -- Sharon Anne

No Fuss Focaccia
Serves 6-8

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cheese powder or grated cheese + more for topping
2 Tablespoons pizza seasoning or Italian spice blend, divided
More olive oil (for baking pan, dough scraper & drizzling)

Speical Equipment:
9" x 13" baking pan, pastry brush, dough scraper, dough whisk and plastic wrap (or shower cap!)

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Liberally grease the bottom and sides of a 9" x 13" pan with olive oil. Combine all of the ingredients (including seasonings, if using) and beat by hand with a dough whisk for 1 minute (or briefly use an electric mixer). Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan (an oiled bench scraper is useful for this), cover loosely with plastic film, and let it rise at room temperature for 1 hour, until puffy. Drizzle over top, lightly with olive oil; gently poke with fingers to make indentations, and sprinkle with extra seasonings and grated cheese if desired. Bake the bread until it's golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove focaccia from oven and wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan and onto a rack. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Another similar recipe, with instructions:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2010/07/09/heat-beater-no-knead-garlic-cheese-flatbread/

Yeast and Conditioning Ingredients

You may... already know there are dough conditioners on the market to enhance the crumb texture of whole grain breads. However instead, I make my own conditioner-enhancing mix, and I shared this in the previous post.

A single (1 1/2  lb) loaf  recipe will often call for 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast. Plus you can add 1 1/2 teaspoons (each) of individual conditioning ingredients, i.e. Instant ClearJel*, lecithin and gluten. Then for a 2-lb loaf, you can add 2 teaspoons (each).

I adore baking...  with buttermilk, which is another delight to conditioner your dough, and then adding 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (per 5-8 oz of buttermilk) is recommended, plus a DASH of ascorbic acid.

Except for... adding individual teaspoons of INGREDIENTS is tedious!

Instead... whisk up a mix (to store in the freezer) to add just Tablespoons of ENHANCED  YEAST MIX, as directed in the previous post.
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Now with using buttermilk; I teach BB Buttermilk classes online (see class testimonials). I share these just for fun, and at this point in time, they're  FREE! You'll want to register to attend, (DON'T request to register here) DO go to my personal website: sharonanne.com* and scroll down - to follow the prompts there. By the way, BB (stands for "better baking") Buttermilk.
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Yeast: I might add that I love SAF RED yeast. I believe it is the best  and most forgiving yeast on the market. It doesn't require pre-proofing like active dry yeast does, and it's more potent, so you can use as much as 25% less. I ALWAYS buy it in 1-lb packages, which is far more economical than the small packets.

RED or GOLD: People often ask me, what's the difference between the RED and the GOLD instant yeasts, both made by SAF. The RED variety is for  most bread baking. Whereas yeast dough, with lots of sugar - normally makes the yeast rise too fast - the GOLD variety is formulated for such  breads. The GOLD is a good type for bagels too.

According to the manufacture, RED STAR and SAF RED are the exact same product, just available (locally) in different parts of the country.
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Your questions and comments are always welcome! -- Sharon  Anne

*Remember, go to my website, to register (to learn) more about my buttermilk.
*Plus begin to learn how valuable Instant ClearJel can become in your baking too.
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