It was my granddaughter’s 10th birthday. She wanted Cheese Ravioli and Pine Needle Bread, her name for Rosemary Bread because it does look like pine needles. This bread cuts like a pizza, and tastes like bread sticks without all the rolling into the stick shapes.
Focaccia Rosemary Bread
2 Cups Hot Water 1 Tablespoon Sugar 1 Package Yeast (2 ½ teaspoons) 1 Tablespoon Salt 4 Cups Bread Flour (more as needed) 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic 1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Rosemary Olive Oil for pan Parmesan Cheese Garlic Salt
In a large mixer bowl, stir together the water, salt, sugar, yeast and flour. With the dough attachment on your mixer, knead until smooth and elastic and pulled together into a ball.
You may need to add more flour; it should be a wet dough, yet not too sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until double in size about 45 minutes.
To make focaccia, remove the dough from the bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Press into a pizza shape. Remove the rosemary “needles” from the stem and chop them. Sprinkle the chopped rosemary and minced garlic on top of the dough, and then roll up into a log to put the rosemary and garlic into the dough. Press into a large rectangle. (If the dough is hard to press out, cover and let rest another 5 minutes) Place dough onto a cookie sheet pan drizzled with about 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Stretch into the shape of the pan. Drizzle another tablespoon olive oil on top of the dough; spread the oil over the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a draft-free/warm place for 45 minutes to1 hour, until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Poke your fingers into the dough making dents about every inch. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Garlic Salt. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm. Cut with a pizza cutter. Serve a puddle of olive oil on your plate for dipping.
To make Gluten Free: Substitute Bread flour for Gluten Free Flour and 1 teaspoon of xanthium gum plus 1 Tablespoon oil into the dough. Keep this a really soft dough, and mix on high speed for 5 minutes. Do not try to roll out the dough just wet your hands a bit to press into cookie sheet. It makes bouncy dough.
Hope you love pine needle bread too.