Since August started I can’t stop thinking about bread. It’s a really crazy craving especially during the summer but it’s been quite nice, chilly even, around here so maybe that’s my excuse for making bread. Bread is a scary project to take on so I’m warming up. I started the month out with zucchini bread and now I made herb focaccia bread. I am building up my bread making skills bread by bread so that hopefully by the time school starts I will be confident enough to make a sandwich bread for lunch.

I’ve been reading up on bread making and the first book I got was The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book. It’s a very serious bread making book and it has some really great recipes that I am hoping to try out soon.  It even had a section on bread makers and this is where I found the recipe for focaccia bread. I kneaded the dough in a stand mixer for 10 minutes instead of kneading it in the bread maker. The dough is very sticky and at some point you may have your doubts about this recipe but keep going it will turn out perfect. The herb combination I used was fresh basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano. I also put slices of tomato on top, but I recommend you peel the tomato skin because once the focaccia bakes it will be a lot easier to slice.

There is a lot of focaccia bread recipes out there but the good thing is that they are all very similar. The most important thing is to let your bread rest and to make a delicious topping. The classic tomato and herb combination is still my favorite.