Easy Focaccia

Football Sunday. A late start for the Buffalo Bills game.

What does this mean? Good food.

And it's a good thing we had good eats, because the game? Well, it was horrible. Stupid Bills. I hope they get their act together over the bye week and come back ready to go again.

Anyway, the day started off with baking homemade focaccia bread. I saw this recipe over at Amber's Delectable Delights last week, and decided that soup and paninis (with the focaccia, of course) sounded like the perfect Sunday meal.

Blitz Bread: No-Fuss Focaccia
(Somewhat adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 3 tbsp. olive oil (plus additional for drizzling)
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 packet instant yeast (approximately 1 tbsp.)
- garlic powder, onion powder, cheese powder, basil, oregano, and parsley (or whatever spices you would like to add)
- parmesan cheese, grated (approximately 1/3 cup)

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.

2. Combine all of the ingredients (I used the onion powder, garlic powder, and cheese powder mixed into the dough), and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.

3. Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan (I tried to smooth it as evenly throughout the pan as possible), cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it's become puffy.

4. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

5. Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.

6. Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with the dried herbs of your choice (if desired). (I used dried basil, oregano, and parsley.)

7. Bake the bread till it's golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. (In the last 10 minutes of bake time, I opened the oven and sprinkled the grated parmesan cheese on top.)

8. Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This bread is really tasty. And it was so easy! Sure, you have to plan ahead a few hours to give it time to rise and bake, but it was no problem.

We munched on some of the bread prior to dinner. Then, to go with our Corn, Bacon and Potato Chowder, we used the focaccia to make turkey bacon paninis. Really, really good. And we have enough bread for leftovers. Can't wait to have these again this week.