Olive & Rosemary Thyme Focaccia

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Fall in love olive the way.

Sourdough bread may be all the rage, but I just can’t commit myself to a lifetime of feeding a starter — I know people who’ve taken their starter travelling with them so they can maintain it for pete’s sake. I love sourdough more than most people, but I’m happy relegating it to being a treat rather I purchase than a chore, thank you very much.

Enter focaccia.

Of all the variations I make, my Olive & Rosemary Thyme Focaccia is my very favourite. The trick to this recipe comes from incorporating the olive brine, this way the flavour isn’t concentrated solely around the olive pieces, but permeates into the dough itself. I also like to kick this recipe up an extra notch by turning in a full head of roasted and mashed garlic — see my notes below for a fast how-to that bypasses an hour-long roasting process in the oven.

And now for the caveats— this dough doesn’t rise quite as much as a plain focaccia recipe, and it may need a few extra pinches of flour to bring together because of the added moisture from the olives. Remember, making bread is as much science as it is art, so don’t be afraid to experiment a little here and there. — CFG


Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Kalamata olive brine, heated to 105° to 110°

  • 1/4 cup water, heated to 105° to 110°

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/2 tbsp of active dry yeast

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra flour as needed, about 1/3 cup)

  • 1/2 tbsp ground sea salt

  • 3/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted

  • 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided

  • 1/8 cup chopped fresh rosemary, divided

  • 1/8 cup chopped fresh thyme leaves, divided

  • 1 head of garlic, peeled and roasted in olive oil (optional)

  • Garnish: sea salt, ground black pepper


Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, stir together 3/4 cup of warmed olive brine and 1/4 cup of hot water, 2 tbsp of sugar, and 1/2 tbsp of yeast. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 5-10 minutes.

  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine 3 cups of flour, 1/2 tbsp of ground sea salt, 1/8 cup of roughly chopped rosemary, 1/8 cup roughly chopped thyme, and 3/4 cup of pitted and roughly chopped Kalamata olives. (If adding roasted garlic, do so here.) Next, add in 2 tbsp of olive oil.

  3. Stir contents with a fork and then add dough hook to mixer. Turn mixer on low/stir speed and slowly and in the water/yeast mixture. Beat at medium speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 3-4 minutes.

  4. As needed, slowly add in the remaining flour (1/4 cup to 1/3 cup) a spoonful at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky and comes together. Repeat as necessary. Continue mixing with the dough hook on medium speed for another 3 minutes.

  5. With floured hands, remove the dough and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Ensure the dough is greased all over by rotating it in the bowl and/or drizzling 1 tsp of olive oil on the dough.

  6. Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour.

  7. Once rise is complete, drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 9” cast-iron skillet or other bakeware and generously grease the pan. Next, transfer the dough to the pan.

  8. Using your fingers, push divots into the bread until the dough is full of dimples. Drizzle ~2 tbsp of olive oil over the dough (I like to fill the divots) and sprinkle a few pinches of ground sea salt and pepper on top. Cover the dough with your kitchen cloth and set aside for ~15 minutes.

  9. Preheat oven to 375° and bake bread for ~25 minutes or until golden brown.

  10. For additional browning, turn the oven to ‘broil’ and brown the top of the bread for 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from oven and drizzle with the remaining olive oil (a cooking oil mister works well).

  11. Serve and enjoy!


Notes

  • You can modify the strength of the herbs by using more or less rosemary or thyme, or by using a 1/4 cup of one herb only.

  • Use a mezzaluna to easily chop your fresh herbs into various sizes.

  • I like to kick this recipe up an extra notch by turning in a full head of roasted and mashed garlic. Simply put your olive oil in a small saucepan, add your peeled garlic and warm just until softened, then mash and add to the flour mixture before incorporating liquids.

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