Horizons: New Vegan Cuisine Publisher: Horizons; 1st edition © 2007 by Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby ISBN: 061516126X

Reprinted with permission from one of the authors, Kate Jacoby.

Rosemary Focaccia (p. 164)
Yields: 4 to 8 servings, depending on use

When we knew we were moving the restaurant to Center City Philadelphia, I took on the responsibility of daily bread baker. I wanted to create a recipe that would be easy enough to execute each morning, yet something that would be very special and memorable for our guests. I began experimenting with focaccia recipes and finally created one that I love. We now serve warm strips of focaccia with a garlic and herb dipping oil with each meal.

Focaccia is a simple yeast bread that is most successful when using lots of quality olive oil and coarse salt. If you're using this as a sandwich bread, you may want to keep the recipe simple. However, if you're serving this to accompany a meal, I like to add fresh chopped herbs.

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 pinch sugar
• 2 tablespoons yeast powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the water, sugar, and yeast.
2. Allow the yeast to activate and begin rising for about 3 minutes.
3. In a larger bowl or an electric mixer, combine the flour, fine salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of the olive oil.
4. Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and combine until a nice smooth dough has formed into a ball.
   
   Note: The dough ball should be very pliable and slightly sticky to the touch.
5. Transfer the dough to a sheet pan and cover it with a cloth.
6. Put the sheet pan in a warm place that will encourage rising, such as on top of the refrigerator, and allow dough to rise for 20 minutes.
7. Knead the dough again and roll it out to cover the entire surface of the sheet pan.
8. Cover dough again, and allow it to rise for another 20 minutes.
9. Preheat over to 400 degrees.
10. Brush the risen dough with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the coarse salt and chopped rosemary.
11. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.