Focaccia Bread Art

I first made this with my grandchildren.  We came up with all kinds of fun designs.  Not only is it fun to make, it tastes delicious!  I used fresh pizza dough instead of making my own focaccia dough.  This is so much easier and quicker and you will still have great results. It also makes a beautiful presentation for a cocktail party or other get-together.  Enjoy!

Focaccia Bread Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 Premixed Pizza Dough from the bakery section of your grocery store
  • 4 ounces olive oil for the pan and for drizzling on top of the focaccia after rising (½ cup)
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
  • Vegetables, herbs and meats for topping

Instructions

  1. Pour enough olive oil into a 12″x17″ sheet pan (or any pan of similar size) so there is a thin layer of oil covering the entire bottom of the pan
  2. Put some olive oil on your hands to prevent sticking and then pull the Pizza dough out of the bowl. Lay it in the pan and begin stretching it. If it shrinks back, walk away for about 15 minutes to let the gluten relax before you stretch again. Don’t worry about getting it to the edges if you divided it in half.
  3. Once you’re done stretching, cover it with plastic wrap and place it into the fridge overnight to develop flavor.
  4. When you’re ready to bake your bread, take it out of the fridge and let it warm up for about 30 minutes. Dimple the surface with your oiled fingers to create some areas where the olive oil can collect.
  5. Drizzle a good amount olive oil onto the top of the bread until all the dimples have a little oil in them. Sprinkle flakey salt on top.
  6. After your focaccia has risen for 30 minutes, decorate the top any way you like with veggies, herbs and meats. The fun is making a garden like you drew when you were a kid.
  7. Brush all your veggies and herbs with more olive oil to prevent burning.
  8. Bake in the oven at 450ºF for 20-25 minutes or until the pizza dough is nice and golden.
  9. Because of the toppings, this bread is best enjoyed the day of. Refrigerate leftovers. Re-heating the bread in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350ºF will bring back that chewy texture.

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