1-Hour Focaccia

Name: 1-Hour Focaccia
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 3/4 cup Warm Water *OR 1 cup, see ‘Step 3’; 1-2 teaspoons Dry Yeast; 1 tablespoon Sugar; 2 tablespoons Olive Oil *plus extra; 2 cups Bread Flour; 1 teaspoon Baking Powder; 1/2 teaspoon Salt; Salt & Herbs for topping

Hiroko Liston @hirokoliston

Melbourne, Australia

I first made this ‘1-Hour Focaccia’ when I was cooking ‘Chicken Cream Stew’ for dinner and I really wanted to serve it with a nice crusty bread, but I didn’t have any bread. I had heard about microwave enforced proofing for quick bread making, so I tried it. Microwave can make the dough warmer and definitely helps the proofing process. But, if you have only 1 hour to make bread, I believe you should add Baking Powder, that improves the texture.

Hiroko Liston @hirokoliston

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Ingredients

4 servings

3/4 cupWarm Water *OR 1 cup, see ‘Step 3’
1-2 teaspoonsDry Yeast
1 tablespoonSugar
2 tablespoonsOlive Oil *plus extra
2 cupsBread Flour
1 teaspoonBaking Powder
1/2 teaspoonSalt
Salt & Herbs for topping

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Steps

1

Place Warm Water, Dry Yeast and Sugar in a bowl, mix gently and set aside.
2

Place Bread Flour, Baking Powder and Salt in a large heat-proof bowl, and mix to combine. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture and Olive Oil. Mix well to form a soft dough. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes, adding extra flour if required, until smooth and elastic.
3

*Alternative Method: Increase the amount of Warm Water to 1 cup. Just combine all the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl. Mix well to form a very soft and sticky dough. DO NOT try to kneed it.
4

Cover the dough with a plate or plastic wrap. Heat in the microwave at low power (150 to 200W) for 30 seconds, and set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes, then heat in the microwave at low power for 30 seconds again.
5

Transfer the dough on an oiled baking tray OR lined with baking paper. Drizzle some Olive Oil over the dough and use your fingers to flatten the dough into a 1cm thin large oblong.
6

Let it rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 220℃.
7

Sprinkle some Salt and Herbs over, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. *Note: Instead of Salt and Herbs, you can spread some Garlic Butter to make Garlic Focaccia.
8

*Note: You can cook this bread using a frying pan, grill pan, hotplate, etc. Cook 4 to 5 minutes over low heat on each side.