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We experienced our first signs of autumn weather yesterday so it was a perfect day for a bowl of hot soup. To go along with the Bean and Sausage Soup I made two loaves of Foccacia bread.  This was my first attempt at making this recipe and I think it will take a couple more adjustments to get it perfect. Although this time the bread was nice and moist. I made one loaf Jalapeno and Cheese and the other Rosemary Garlic.

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups warm water (110-115 degrees)

1 Tablespoon Bread Machine Yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing loaves

1 ½ teaspoons salt

4 ½ cups flour

Toppings:

Jalapenos, sliced

Cheddar Jack Cheese, shredded

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1 Tablespoon Rosemary

Directions:

Place bread machine on dough setting. Place ingredients into bread machine in order listed. Turn bread machine on. This process usually takes approximately 1 hour 40 minutes.

Once dough has risen in machine and timer go off, pull dough out of machine and place on a lightly floured surface. At this stage, you can cut dough in half to make two loaves or cut into four mini loaves.

Shape dough into a nice round ball and stretch to an 8-inch disk. Place on a cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Brush loaves with the olive oil. Cover loosely with a cloth and place in a draft free area. Let rise for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Once loaves have risen, top with toppings.  Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

This is actually a very easy recipe. What are some of your Foccacia favorites?