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Herb & Cheese Focaccia Bread

Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 46 minutes
Servings 10 to 12
Author Emeril's Kicked-Up Sandwiches: Stacked with Flavor

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup warm water no hotter than 110 degrees F
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 packet active dry yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cups Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs Basil, and Oregano {or the same amount of fresh chopped herbs}
  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil {3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup if using fresh chopped herbs}
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer. In the stand mixer bowl, combine warm water, sugar, and yeast. Give a quick stir with a spoon, and then allow to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the flour, 1/2 cup herbs, 3 tablespoons oil, cheese, and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix on low speed for 5 to 10 minutes until well combined. The dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and knead for about 5 minutes. (Emeril said to knead for 10 minutes and I couldn't do it, but my bread came out fine.)
  3. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Roll the dough around a little so it's coated in the oil too. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour to let the dough double in size. Punch down the dough and recover; allow dough to sit for an additional hour, to double in size.
  4. Line a baking sheet with a Sil-Pat. (Emeril uses parchment paper lining dusted with cornmeal.)
  5. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead it several times to form a ball. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll the dough out to a 12" x 16" (or so) rectangle. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, and set aside. Allow dough to rise one last time for 1 hour.
  6. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  7. In a small bowl, combine remaining herbs with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Using your fingertips, dimple the top of the dough with indentations about 1/2" deep. Brush the dough with the herb/oil mixture, save a little for after baking. Sprinkle dough with Kosher salt. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet back to front. Bake for an additional 6 minutes, or until golden. Reomove bread from oven, brush with remaining herb/oil. Serve hot or at room temperature.