Recipe: Wheat Focaccia Bread

One of my biggest guilty pleasures is homemade bread.  I love bread in all of its glorious forms.....biscuit, roll, loaf bread, sweet bread, and many more!

Today, I decided to give wheat focaccia bread a try.  I've had focaccia bread many times before but never a wheat one.  Since I try to limit the amount of refined white flour I eat, I thought a wheat and white blend of focaccia bread would be just perfect for our Italian-inspired dinner.

This bread is probably one of the easiest yeast breads I've made to date.  Plus, it tastes absolutely delicious!  Serve this with some good olive oil mixed with herbs and Parmesan, and you'll fall in love in no time. 

Wheat Focaccia Bread

1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm water
1 tablespoon of honey
1 1/2  cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
2 teaspoons of roasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of dry or fresh chopped rosemary (I used dry because that's what I had available)

-  Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
-  Crush and peel the garlic clove.  Add the clove and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a small pan.  Heat the olive oil mixture over medium heat until the garlic clove is golden brown.  Discard the garlic clove.  Set the olive oil to the side for later use.
-  In a liquid measuring cup, dissolve the yeast into the the warm water.
-  Mix the honey into the yeast water, and let sit until it is foamy.
-  Combine the flours and salt in the bowl of a mixer (i.e., Kitchen Aid mixer).
-  Add the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the dry ingredients.
-  Mix with the dough hook attachment until the dough turns into a ball and pulls away from the bowl.  If the dough doesn't come together, you can add a little more water.  Just add a little at a time to avoid getting the dough too moist.  The dough should look like a smooth tight ball.
-  Oil a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl.  Cover the bowl with a damp cloth.  Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.
-  Oil a baking stone or baking pan.  After the dough has risen, dump it on the stone/pan.  Roll it out to about 2 inches thick.  Make dimples all over the dough with your fingers.
-  Drizzle the top of the dough with the garlic-infused olive oil.  Sprinkle the sesame seeds and rosemary over the top of the dough.
-  Bake for about 15 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.