Herbed Focaccia

14 years ago, 4 days after my son was born, we had a knock at the door and our wonderful neighbor, Brenda, brought me this delectable focaccia.  After eating hospital food for a few days, I can't even begin to explain how good this homemade treat tasted.  Soft, herby, a hint of garlic and a touch of salt.  Mmmm...  Beyond amazing!

Over the years we have served this bread at dinner parties as a side, with a dipping sauce as an appetizer, and sometimes simply split and layered with turkey and vegies for a quick lunch or snack.  Popping the ingredients into a bread machine on the dough cycle makes easy work of kneading while you are finishing up other errands or daily chores, or simply enjoying a nice glass of wine.  A final stretch of the dough, then topping it with oil, herbs and a touch of salt brings the bread to life as you pop it into the oven, and less than 20 minutes later you have a house that smells like a restaurant and a side of bread that your family will devour!

Usually I simply grind a sprinkle of Sea Salt over the top of the oiled dough, but today I had a special treat.  A couple of weeks ago I was the lucky winner to Deb from the Kahakai Kitchen's Captain Cooked book giveaway!  I won a signed copy of the recently released Captain Cooked book (a tale set in Hawaii with a foodie flair!) and Deb so kindly included spices and other foodie goodies along with the book.  Today we broke out the prized Red Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt.  Coarse and a lovely reddish color, we ground it a bit smaller and sprinkled it over our oiled and herbed dough.  Traditionally Hawaiians use Alaea salt in ceremonies to cleanse, purify and bless tools and canoes, as well as in healing rituals for medicinal purposes.  Further reading taught us that the salt is rich in natural minerals and is frequently used in traditional Hawaiian dishes such as Kalua pig.  We truly felt special using this blush colored salt, and would like to extend our hearty thanks to Deb for our special treat!!

Herbed Focaccia

1 cup water
2 Tbs olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 1/2  tsp yeast

2 Tbs Parmesan cheese (grated)
2 Tbs olive oil (I used a roasted garlic avocado oil)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt

Place first 7 ingredients into your bread machine and start on the dough cycle.  (Alternatively, mix water, oil, yeast, and sugar in a stand mixer for about 1 minute, add Italian seasoning and salt.  Add 1 cup of flour and mix.  Add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix for a few minutes to knead.  Place in an oiled bowl for about an hour, or until doubled in size).  When the cycle is finished remove the dough and stretch into an oval or rectangle about 11 x 7 inches and about 3/4 to 1 inch thickness, place onto a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for about half an hour. Preheat oven to 400º.

After 1/2 hour make indentations into the dough to give a dimpled surface.  Brush with the additional 2 Tbs of oil.  Sprinkle the additional 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Bake for about 15 minutes (maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less...), or until top is lightly browned.