Bread, it has gone from the most basic source of nourishment to whole grain dieting staple to food shunned and the gluten sensitivity enemy, cause of unwanted weight gain and digestion problems. Bread itself may not be as evil as current culture pronounces it, but that which we buy in plastic bags at the supermarket may be. Not because it is bread. The chemical additives, preservatives and flour from wheat sprayed with pesticides seem to me more of a problem than eating a slice of wholesome homemade bread. I wonder if in 10 years we will look back on all the no gluten recommendations and say, as we now say for fat, gluten isn’t really that bad. Making your own bread sounds hard. Truly, controlling the ingredients and mastering some basic techniques is empowering. Use organic flours, replace water with herbal infused tea and control the chemicals by adding none. I am not saying I don’t buy bread, I do. I also think it important to balance the amount of carbohydrate we eat. I avoid eating too much gluten. But demonizing a food seems to make little sense, especially when modern processing is likely the heart of the problem. This lovely focaccia is an easy bread to bake. Personalize it with any topping you like or keep it plain. The dandelion tea can add extra nutrients and may even help our bodies absorb them. Please leave a comment below and tell me what you think about bread, gluten, and adding herbal tea to baking. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2loaves | 2hours |
| Cook Time |
| 30minutes |
|
|
- Dandelion tea
- 2 tbsp dried dandelion leaf 6 dandelion leaf tea bags
- 16 ounces boiling water
- Focaccia
- 5 1/2-6 cups all-purpose organic flour
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast rapid rise is best, but regular yeast is ok also
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil + additional for coating pans
- 2 cups dandelion tea
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Prepare strong dandelion tea. Combine dried dandelion leaf with 16oz of hot water in French coffee press or other tea infusion vessel. Steep for 30 minutes.
- Strain and reserve dandelion tea. Add a bit of water if needed to measure 2 cups. Set aside to cool.
- Measure flour. Begin with 5 cups or 567 grams in a medium bowl. Measure the remaining 1 cup (113grams) into a small bowl and set this aside.
- Add yeast and salt to measured 5 cups flour. With a dough cutter or scraper, the plastic ones are easy to manipulate, blend just to mix thoroughly through.
- Add olive oil and dandelion tea and blend until dough forms a mass. If it is too sticky and soft, add some of additional flour, a little at a time, cutting in after each addition. When dough begins to hold its shape and pull away from the sides of the bowl, it is ready for kneading.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface for kneading. This dough is very soft, so begin by kneading very gently. With floured hands, fold the dough end farthest away over toward you, then push with the palms of your hands away from you. Turn the dough a quarter turn. Keep board and hands floured and scrape up any dough that sticks to the board with a dough scraper. Knead in this way, folding, pushing, then turning a quarter turn for 5 minutes.
- Dough will be smooth, soft, and bounce back when you gently push a finger into it.
- Return dough to mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 1 hour. Dough will reach top of bowl.
- Drizzle lines of olive oil on bottom of two 9 inch pans. Pans can be square or round.
- Turn dough out onto a floured board. Cut in half with dough cutter or scraper. Put one half in each pan. Turn over to coat both sides with olive oil. Push fingers into top of dough to spread to edges of pan and create little crevices. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 20-30 minutes until puffy.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Prepare topping. Chop garlic and parsley. Mix with salt and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle on top of focaccia. Alternatively, leave loaves plain or create any topping you like.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until crust is golden brown and firm. Turn pans after 20 minutes if needed for even browning.
- Cool on wire racks or serve warm.
* Fresh dandelion leaf can be substituted for dried dandelion leaf, but in larger amounts. If using fresh dandelion leaf, add 1/4 cup chopped to 16 ounces water.
**Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make baked goods all the more nourishing. For this bread use organic flour, olive oil, garlic, and parsley if available.
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