Focaccia Love

If I had to point my finger to one recipe on this blog that I absolutely couldn't do without, it would be this Focaccia.
You have no idea how many times I've made it. In how many different forms.
As I said in that post, everybody loves it. My kids. My friends. Me. The whole family.
Every time I make it, and I assure you it's at least once a week, it's simply a success. And I love to share it with friends, too, and to hear them say "Your focaccia is simply the best". One of those compliments that makes flowers bloom on top of my head, that's how much they make me proud ^_^

Since it's Saturday, and I'm supposing you're feeling a bit like me, want to relax and do some of the overdue housework, but at the same time want to dedicate a little time to cooking or baking something that you don't have time to do during the week.
Well, if you're staying at home today, you could give a go to this focaccia. You can dedicate it necessary time for kneading and rising, in between everything else you'll be doing, even squeeze in the grocery shopping during the final rising. The effective work you need to dedicate to it is relatively short, and effortless

And most importantly, you'll have other ideas for dinner pop in automatically.
If you are living somewhere where autumn temperatures are already pretty low, and the chilly weather is making you crave for a bowl of warm soup or minestrone, the simple focaccia will be perfect to accomany it.

If you live on the opposite side of the globe, and days are getting warm, or you don't feel like fussing a lot around the kitchen, then a simple round or twisted focaccacia that you enriched with halved cherry tomatoes and olives, along with a cheese platter, or some cold meat cuts or a few cheesy or vegetable dips,  will be the star on your table.

If you want to take a healthier twist on your bread, then do as I've been doing lately. Use a mixture of whole grain flours.
The photos above and under this passage show a focaccia where half of the total flour were a mix of whole grain spelt flour, whole wheat flour and the rest is white, bread flour.
It is fluffy and soft just as the white flour only focaccia, with whole load of flavour added.

Lately, I took to precutting the dough before baking it.
In this way, it's easy to separate pieces once it's baked, and kids can help themselves without danger of using a knife.
These little focaccias are also suitable for making sandwiches.
And if you decide you have more focaccia than you can eat in one day, they can easily be popped into freezer bags and frozen.
When you need a few pieces,  put them into the warm oven for a few minutes, even after yo've turned it off, and they'll come out as if they were just baked. Warm and soft. And you won't have troubled over them at all.

If you love fresh herbs, toss some generously on top before baking the focaccia and enjoy the smell coming out of your oven.

I particularly like sticking tomatoes and olives into the dough. A focaccia prepared this way stays really soft on the inside for a couple days, thanks to the liquid the cut tomatoes release into the dough.
If you've never tried it this way, just do it. It tastes amazing. You'll be eating nothing else but focaccia.

*********************************************************************************************

La ricetta base per la focaccia potete trovare su questo LINK. Le variazioni che uso più  spesso sono semplici. A volte la farcisco con pomodorini tagliati a metà e le olive (nere o verdi). A volte la faccio attorcigliata e condita sempre con i pomodorini e olive.
Oppure la faccio semplice, ma taglio la pasta stesa e condita con emulsione di olio e acqua in parti uguali, e poi la taglio con una rotella per la pizza. Dopo la cottura e facile separare i pezzetti, e anche usarli per i panini o da servire a merenda ai bambini.
Ultimamente la faccio spesso (quasi sempre) in una versione quasi integrale. Metà quantità della farina usata, al posto della 0, uso un misto tra la farina integrale di farro e la integrale o semintegrale di frumento. Viene morbida e alveolata lo stesso, con un sapore molto più ricco, oltre a essere più salutare


********************************************************************************************


Osnovni recept za focacciu je OVDJE.  Za mene zbilja najbolja, najmekša i najukusnija focaccia.
Varijacija na temu kod mene ima nekoliko. Uglavnom se sastoje u dodatku prepolovljenih cherry rajčica i maslina prije pečenja. Obična okrugla, ili oblikovana u dugu rolnicu, pa uvijena i umotana spiralno. Posebno dobra i meka.
Često focacciu, prije pečenja, nakon što sam je razvukla i premazala emulzijom ulja i vode, i nabockala prstima, isiječem rezačem za pizzu na komadiće. Nakon pečenja, komadiće focacce je dovoljno razdvojiti. Zgodni su za poslužiti, a mogu se i puniti kao sendviči.
U posljednje vrijeme, focacciu najčešće pravim u polu-integralnoj varijanti. Postupak je neizmijenjen, kao i količine, ali polovicu bijelog brašna zamijenim integralnim pirovim/speltinim brašnom i poluintegralnim ili integralnim pšeničnim. Bude jednako mekano, prepuna rupica, ali okus je puniji i bogatiji, da ne spominjem da je focaccia tad još zdravija.