**RECIPE** Focaccia (It's Not Difficult)

 Thanks to The Apron on YouTube, I have learned to make Focaccia at home. I can't spell it all the time, but...

When I told SIL and one of my brothers that I had made Focaccia, I'm not sure they believed me. I would not have. However, here is the video I used and trust me, if I can do it, you can do it.

This is the video for The Apron's easy Focaccia. 

If you are like me and have comprehension issues, do what you need to make it work. I suggest printing the recipe out in large print, numbering the steps and highlighting any important tips. My SIL who has no comprehension issues, just wrote out the recipe and put it in her card box.

Here are some examples of what I managed to put out: 

The first mostly successful attempt

The 3rd much better attempt

The 3rd one baked

Of course, I'm not going to show anything that I screwed up royally! 😂

Because I have learned a couple of things, my next attempt should be my best. For one thing, my original baking pan was too small. I went up a size, so the last one was better. However, I might need to go up a teeny bit more in size... Also, I did have to dig out a much bigger dish for overnight proofing. 

As far as overnight proofing, I couldn't figure out the best size bowl to use. Someone online helped me to figure out that for the recipe I was using (with about 600 grams of flour with high hydration), I needed at least a 5.5-to-6-liter container. I dug around in my storage and found my Sterlite container (not big enough at 4.4 liters) so... I finally managed to find a 5.5-liter tray-style container (exactly like this one). My online source thinks this will work. Fingers crossed.

source

Once I realized how easy it is to make Focaccia, I wondered if there could be ways to make more variations. Of course, I know about the garlic-cheese and the herbs, but I was thinking dessert Focaccia. And, yes, there are recipes for that.  Here's a page from Chef's Bliss and a whole guide from My Daily Sourdough. I haven't done any sweet one yet. I'm just happy not to have to buy bread.

I am so thankful the The Apron. The recipes are so easy to follow and the demonstrations are very clear and helpful. 

Before I go, I have to say that not only is baking my own bread healthier for my diet, it has also been a mental help. On my worst days of depression, if I can think clearly enough, spending time making bread is a coping mechanism. I was having a bad time a few weeks ago, and I realized that the time spent working with the dough and going through the process to create something was better than any medicine doctors could give me. I thank God for learning how to bake a little.You let me mess around and find something that can help me think clearly... Watch out, world!

Peace

--Free