Foccacia bread was something I learned how to make from my dad early in life. There is something tremendously delicious about good homemade bread baked with lots of olive oil, quality course salt and herbs. It’s also an easy recipe to make with kids and super interactive. Back then, we used to slice open the bread and make an amazing hot pressed sandwich with fontina cheese, good cured meats and an olive tapenade. It was a perfect weekend project and great for school lunches all week long. It’s funny how vivid food memories can be.

Years later, I still find making homemade bread and foccacia in particular a luxurious thing to make at home.  Making smaller versions of the recipe allow you to make it last minute and just enough for a small dinner party. And baking the dough in a cast iron skillet allows the corners of the bread to become extra crispy.

If you have yeast on hand at home, you can make this in just about an hour. Perfect to serve with a hot bowl of soup or stew!

Skillet Foccacia Bread

• 1 cup water, lukewarm
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix water, honey and yeast. Leave it for 5 minutes so that the yeast starts to work. In a stand up mixer with a dough hook, add flour, salt, and oil. Mix together and slowly pour in liquid. Allow the dough hook to work it’s magic until the dough has formed a nice smooth ball.  Cover with plastic and let it rise for 1 hour in a warm place. 

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Add a additional tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of a cast iron skillet. Add dough (my small skillet used half the dough). Top dough with a little more olive oil, good course salt, pepper and herbs (I recommend thyme or rosemary).  Cook for about 20 minutes or until brown and beautiful.