Comments on: Yeast bread in a hurry: it doesn’t HAVE to take forever. Honest.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:47:45 +0000

Thank you so much for this recipe! I only had whole wheat bread flour and a hand stick blender but after reading your replies to the comments here I felt relatively confident to give it a shot. Well, what a treat it was! It was pretty dense but with slices of gouda and delicious homemade creamy carrot soup to dunk it into it was a perfect early autumn meal. I topped it with sea salt and fresh rosemary. Thanks again!

By: Joyce

Joyce — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:56:50 +0000

Hi PJ,
Just wanted you to know that I made the Foccacia with the Italian Style Flour. I decreased the water as you suggested. It was absolutely delicious!! Even though it didn’t rise quite as high as your picture, it was very light and so good. Crisp on the outside and soft inside. I actually prefer it thinner. For the topping I mixed parmesean cheese, black pepper, oregano, dried basil and garlic powder. The flavor was wonderful. Thanks again for another great recipe. I will be making it again this weekend. Keep the recipes coming.

Joyce

Glad you enjoyed it, Joyce. I will indeed keep those recipes coming! PJH

By: Debby

Debby — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:10:53 +0000

Made this AWESOME Focaccia recipe this afternoon and it is DELISH!! My 29 year old son was visiting and after I had taken it out of the oven he said”Mom, hurry up and cut that bad boy, I want to make a sandwich out of it!” So guess what we all had for dinner? LOL I put the pizza seasoning on the top, also added fresh rosemary and parmesan cheese. OUTSTANDING!!! Can you tell we all love it? KA ROCKS!!!

Debby, thanks so much for sharing your success! LOVE it when breads come out fabulous and people have another “go to” recipe. YEAH - PJH

By: Joyce

Joyce — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:12:48 +0000

Thanks PJ, I will try it and let you know.

Joyce

By: Joyce

Joyce — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:23:47 +0000

Oh PJ,
You are killing me with all these fabulous recipes. Just when I think I don’t need another recipe, you post something new that I just have to try. I plan on making the Foccacia this weekend. I have a bag of KA Italian Style flour. Could I use this flour? Would I have to do anything different? Look forward to hearing from you.

Joyce

I’ve never tried it, Joyce - I think it might be a bit denser, as the Italian flour is low protein and doesn’t like to rise very high. Give it a try - cut back the water to 1 cup + 2 tablespoons, see if that makes a dough that looks like the consistency of the dough in the blog pictures. Let us know how it works - it’ll be nice and tender, anyway - PJH

By: John T Diggins

John T Diggins — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:16:21 +0000

The link to the recipe is dead so here is the recipe.

Blitz Bread: No-Fuss Focaccia

Warm, aromatic yeast bread, hot from the oven—with no
kneading, AND in under 2 hours? Here it is. Add Pizza Dough
Flavor for over-the-top flavor, and/or cheese powder to turn it
into cheese bread. Step-by-step photos illustrating how to make
this bread are available at Bakers’ Banter, our King Arthur
blog.
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) warm water
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) olive oil (plus additional for
drizzling)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups (14 ¾ ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor, optional
1/4 cup Vermont cheese powder, optional
pizza seasoning, optional
1) Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.
2) Combine all of the ingredients, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.
3) Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room
temperature for 60 minutes, till it’s become puffy.
4) While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.
5) Gently poke the dough all over with your index finger.
6) Drizzle it lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with pizza seasoning, and/or the dried herbs of your choice, if desired.
7) Bake the bread till it’s golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

To make cheese-stuffed bread: Add 1 cup crumbled feta cheese to the dough after it’s been kneaded for 60 seconds.

John, thank you SO much for posting this. We’re trying to figure out why this link is continually breaking. Thanks for your “in the meantime” solution! PJH

By: Stacey

Stacey — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:48:37 +0000

Has anyone tried making this with all white whole wheat flour?

By: Great-grandma B.

Great-grandma B. — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 07:19:31 +0000

As an answer to Rosemarie, Brenda suggests using vinyl/latex gloves for messy jobs. I use exam gloves for all kitchen, household, and gardening jobs especially where fine tactile sense is needed. For gardening they are wonderful for thining seedlings. To keep hand persperation from leaking out and forming a river to my elbow if I need to reach up, I take a sheet of paper towel, fold it into a pad and slip it inside the glove into the palm of my hand . . . surprising how wet that pad gets while keeping my forearm dry.

Enjoy reading this blog and appreciate the light hearted sense of humor. Your pause that refreshed was the progression of rudimentary baking to the modern “. . . Wonder Bread.” elicited a healthy guffaw. Thanks, I needed that.

By: marlin

marlin — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 06:22:08 +0000

I tried this morning, it was great. Can I substitue 1/2 cup with whole wheat flour ?.
Yes you can use 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour-the results will be a bit denser. Joan@bakershotline

By: TiV

TiV — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:57:22 +0000

Works now, thank you for your amazingly quick answer & help!! Best regards from Finland!