Sunday, March 14, 2010

The Best Focaccia in the World!

Tender, moist and chewy on the inside, slightly crunchy on the outside....and OMG!, makes the best GF pizza crust you will EVER eat! 

My non-GF hubby states that this bread makes the closest thing to a real pizza-tasting crust he has had to date...even compared to a well-known upscale Pizza restaurant chain known in these parts of the world....for having great gluten free pizza!
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2½ t. active dry yeast
½ t. sugar
1 cup warm water (115° F)
1 t. salt
2 cups GF flour blend
3 T. olive oil
1-2 t. minced fresh thyme or oregano leaves
1 T. non-GMO cornmeal
¼ cup coarsely grated Parmesan
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper for sprinkling 

Whisk together yeast, sugar, and water in medium sized bowl and let stand 5 minutes, or until foamy.

In a bowl, mix together salt and all the flour. Stir oil into yeast mixture. With  mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to yeast mixture. Mix in the herbs. Dough will be very moist and sticky, almost like a thick cake batter.

Oil a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and sprinkle with the tablespoon of cornmeal. Drop dough onto pan, gently smoothing out with spatula to fill the pan. Take back of large spoon, moistened with water, and slightly smooth the top of the dough.

Cover pan with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 30 minutes or more.

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Now sprinkle dough with Parmesan, a little more cornmeal, and sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper.

With lightly oiled fingertips or the back of a small spoon make indentations, about ½ inch deep and 1 inch apart, all over the dough rectangle.

Bake in middle of oven 12 minutes, or until golden. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

Makes: One 9 x 13 inch flat loaf. 


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