Our admiration for the Italian bread is an
endless love affair. Well, it began during our internship days when we first
tasted a piece (read mouthful) of this heavenly bread.
Robert Browning was right when he quoted,
“If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens”
Although focaccia is not
crusty and baguette-like, it is soft and ....Oh! So Delicious! The edges of the
bread gets toasty and when cut open, has the most wonderful and bubbly crumb.
Every time I visit a restaurant that has focaccia in its bread basket, I'm a
happy girl! Soft and warm focaccia is one of the most enjoyable gourmet affairs
for me, and good focaccia with fresh butter is amazing! So, full marks to
places like Smoke House Deli and Salt Water Cafe for getting that right.
Anyway now, let's get down to
business! Our last kitchen class this term was a 'Make Your Own Sandwich' which
included making the bread from scratch. No prizes for guessing the bread we
chose to bake. We decided to make a Barbecue Chicken Sandwich on
Focaccia along with Red Pepper and Chilli Jam. I must confess that I'm
always doubtful and impatient when it comes to bread baking because there's the
whole proving...resting business. But, we thought this was a good chance to try
our hands on making our favorite bread.