It seems like bread making has become really popular over the past few years. Mainly kicking off during 2020 lockdowns.
Like many things that randomly become popular online, there is a thought of “do I truly find this interesting or do I simply want to do it because it’s popular?” This requires self awareness and a bit of personal inspection. Sometimes, this process can happen rather instantly if we’re well into that practice, or it can take some time to figure out without much experience.
I briefly dabbled with making rolls. I’ve baked them a handful of times, each coming out differently. This is definitely on my list to work on in the future. But, this is the time for focaccia.
I’m making focaccia for the first time.
My goal is to have a relatively simple bread to work on frequently, so I can perfect it as much as I can.
I will then move on to rolls and maybe dabble with sourdough. The plan is to continue making progress without jumping to many different things.
The Inspiration
My love for focaccia came from Panera Bread. They have a lovely black pepper focaccia that I always sub for with any sandwich I order. To be honest, I don’t remember the first time I had the bread. I guess it wasn’t a completely memorable experience, only the fact that I enjoyed it a lot.
The Recipe
I went to Pinterest searching for a recipe. This is the one I settled on. I wanted to mimic the Panera one, so I didn’t add the Italian seasoning, oregano, nor basil. Instead, I opted for freshly cracked black pepper and flaky sea salt on top. This particular recipe uses a round pan to bake, but I put my dough in a traditional rectangular pan. The recipe was simple to follow.
The Outcome
I think it came out pretty well for my first time. The outside could have been a little more crispy and my dimpling a little different. The inside was soft, which was great. Next time I will add more olive oil on top. I will also try to get a higher rise with my dough.