A Good Day for Bread

I left work early today. Business has been slow and it's Columbus Day, so our usual patrons from the French school had the day off.

Coming home early, I decided to do something that I have not done in a long time: bake bread at home. The warm fall air was perfect for dough to rise. I flipped through my "Essentials of Baking" cookbook: the focaccia recipe caught me eye.

I have not baked focaccia since I was in Breads class at the culinary school. That was four years ago.

I love making bread, but the challenge is having a block of time: starting with measuring out my ingredients all the way to pulling the finished product out of the oven. Also, having the weather just right. I have figured out a way to proof bread in the chill of the winter. (I just put the dough in a container on top of the oven, and set the oven to warm. It's a bit tricky, so I would rather just wait for the right time.)

But I am spoiled when it come to bread. Students would constantly have fresh baked bread with their meals. So for thirty weeks, I had fresh piecebaguette, ballons with poppy seeds or asiago cheese, slices of levain...

So, I did have fun making the focaccia, but I wished that I had the time to let the dough sit in the refrigerator overnight and let it ferment. (The flavor is much better if you do so.)

I think one of the interesting about making bread is that you are working with something that is still alive. And, I love how simple ingredients can create something so delicious: yeast, warm water, sugar, olive oil, flour, and salt. Also, an important factor is time.


Here is my finished product. I added some tomato, green onion, and garlic.