Is it time for Happy Hour already?
This time of year, Happy Hours are few and far between. Taxi Mom is off to softball practice, lacrosse games, band concerts, and movie dates. Not one to be deterred by my change in schedule, I try to fit in a Happy Hour when I can. As the famous Happy Hour supporter Jimmy Buffet sings, "It's 5 o'clock somewhere."
I picked up a copy of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking
. It has changed my life. At least in the bread making sense if there is such a thing. With a little prep ahead time (my new motto for getting food on the table for my family) I can actually have freshly baked bread for dinner, er... Happy Hour tonight. The first recipe I tried was Rosemary Focaccia. A couple minutes of mixing and then the dough was stored in the refrigerator until I was ready to bake it. A basic recipe makes enough for 4 loaves. When baking time rolls around, a grapefruit size piece is used to form the loaf of your choice. 20 minutes in the oven and fresh, hot bread is ready to serve.
The authors of the book, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, have a website chalk full of recipes, upcoming events, and reviews on their innovative bread baking technique. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.
My Middle One is the most excited about my new love of bread baking. If left to her own limited dietary choices, she would exist on noodles, bread, rice, butter, and water. She has recently added a vegetable to her repertoire - pepperoncinis. I think she is practicing to be on Survivor someday.
As an appetizer, I serve the focaccia in on large piece. We tear off a pieces and dip in Seasoned Olive Oil or Fresh Marinara Sauce.
Pour a glass of wine and get your Happy Hour on.
Seasoned Olive Oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Mix ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with foccacia.
8 comments:
Thanks so much! I'm Jeff Hertzberg, one of the co-authors... please visit us anytime at www.artisanbreadinfive.com and post into any of the "Comments" fields.
Beautiful focaccia!
Jeff
I am envious of you enjoying cooking like you do. It is something that I want to be able to do, and just never had the "knack". I am one of those soccer moms, going all the time and eating on the fly. Again, I envy you, but I honestly believe that I am going to try this recipe tomorrow night, for we have friends coming over! KC
Oh, can I come and join you for Happy Hour? I am also in "taxi Mom" mode these days, and could use a good happy hour come the end of the week.
I've wondered about this cookbook, and I am really intriqued. If another busy mom can make fresh bread during the week, then maybe I can, too!
I'm so glad I subscribed to your blog. I was wanting to make this bread for the longest time. Looks simple enough, even though I'm not much of a baker. Very nice :)
Don't you just love this book? The focaccia is definitely one of my favorites. Yours turned out great!
jhertz10 - thanks for visiting my blog. I love your book - we are enjoying making bread more frequently at our house.
k.c. - I find that if I plan a few menus and shop ahead of time, it makes getting dinner on the table much easier. Thanks for visiting.
patsyk - give the book a try. By making a batch of dough, it is easy to get fresh bread on the dinner table.
chef erik - it really is easy to use this book. give it a try. You won't be disappointed.
k-nut - thanks for the compliment. I need try a bunch more of the recipes, but we have been stuck on focaccia for a while now.
I think the "Olive Oil" bread (the base for this recipe) is by far my favorite in the book. The Boule is a close second, tied with the "Soft American-Crust" bread. That one is great, as well! Lots of great options with excellent results. I can't wait to read about your others.
k-nut - i'm getting my book out today to try something new. I think the soft-crust is my first.
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