Rosemary Focaccia

Recipe By: N. Jay Sorensen, RD

Serving Size: 24     Preparation Time: 1:00

Categories: Breads

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  1            cup  warm water

  2 ½       teaspoons  yeast

  6            tablespoons  olive oil

  5            cups  all-purpose flour

  2            teaspoons  salt

  3            tablespoons  rosemary, fresh -- chopped

  1            cup  milk

  2            teaspoons  kosher salt

 Stir together 1 cup warm water, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and yeast in bowl of mixer and let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes.  With the paddle attachment, add warmed milk, flour, salt, 2 tablespoons rosemary and beat at medium speed until a dough ball forms. Replace paddle with dough hook and knead dough at high speed until soft, smooth, and sticky, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl, turn dough to coat, let rise, covered with plastic wrap, until double in size, 1 – 1 ½ hours. Spread generous amount of olive oil on 15 x 10 inch baking pan. Turn dough out of the bowl onto the pan and using your fingers pat and press the dough until the dough reaches the edges of the pan. Allow dough to rise again until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Fifteen minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450° degrees. Stir together rosemary and remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Make shallow indentations all over dough with your fingertips, then brush with rosemary oil, letting it pool in indentations. Sprinkle sea salt evenly over focaccia and bake in middle of oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.