Focaccia- Coming at You!

Here it is, raw and uncensored! Not to mention, it's looking better here than it will in the next photo. But I'm not apologizing for my food. It tasted sensational and it had a great texture. I'm kind of hung up about texture in food. I don't obsess over it, but I come close.

But let's talk about this recipe. The original is from the Bread Baker's Apprentice. I've had the book for a little over a year and (embarrassingly) this is the first thing I've tried in it. The first 100 pages are a bread tutorial, filled with techniques, steps and a whole lotta words. Then, you get to the formulas. I kept looking at the pictures and wanting to make the breads, but didn't want to go through all those steps. I thought I'd have to read and absorb all that information before I could play with dough. So I finally had a breakthrough and just made some. It was a good move. Here's how it ended up.

There are definitely some things I'd do differently next time. Like not follow when the book tells me to put on my preproof toppings. That's why my caramelized onions and sundried tomatoes look pretty much like the black olives on there. Not quite the visual I was going for...but still, I can't knock the taste. I debated when I did it and should have followed my intuition to wait to top it. I think I'd be happier if I added them closer to the end of the baking time. We took it to a party we were going to (it makes a ton) and it was devoured.

The good news is that I have enough leftover herb oil to make another batch. And the recipe is online at VeganYumYum if you're feeling adventurous. It's not as hard as I thought... and maybe the book doesn't quite know everything.