Abstract:

This olive oil dough recipe of my own design is a dependable go-to in my kitchen when I want a steamy, crusty, fragrant loaf of focaccia without a whole lotta fuss. Three varieties of garden-fresh herbs and a crispy, golden-brown exterior simply beg to be drug thru a puddle of extra virgin olive oil (or whatever's left of that pasta sauce on your plate). And even if it's too hot to light the oven, that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy fresh-baked bread. This is a barbeque grill-friendly recipe; courtesy of your dependable cast iron skillet.

Purpose:

I have a confession to make, gentle readers. I've been holding out on you. I've been sitting on a perfectly solid, tried-and-tested recipe, all the while slinging all kinds of first go 'round, beta-type stuff at you. Today is the day I apologize; and while you won't be getting flowers or a greeting card faced with an animal shot thru a wide-angle lens, you will be receiving something honest and sincere. Today, I'm saying "I'm sorry", and I'm saying it with bread: A three-herb focaccia to be specific.



Aside from trying to teach my kids math, science, and a little bit of patience, one of the reasons I got into baking was for the pizza. For the last three years or so, I've incrementally tweaked my olive oil dough recipe specifically for this purpose; and while the dough does indeed make pretty good pizza (as well as calzones and stromboli), where it really shines is focaccia. My pizza's pretty good, don't get me wrong; but it wasn't until the occasion that I purposed that leftover dough for a skillet of bread that I realized what I'd been missing. And although I started out baking this bread in the oven, the dough and the baking method are soooo very forgiving that it was only a matter of time before this focaccia found its way to the grill.