Italian Peasant Bread or Fast Focaccia

           7/8 to 1 cup warm water or milk

           2 tablespoons olive oil

           2 cups bread flour

           1 teaspoon sea salt

           1 tablespoon sugar

           1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

           1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

           2 teaspoons yeast

           Olive oil (to garnish)

           Rosemary or any herb of your choice (to garnish)

           Coarse Sea Salt (to garnish)

  
1.  Place ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir, you want a soft sticky dough; add more water if needed. Cover.
2.   Let rest 15 minutes, briefly knead in bowl, cover and place in a really warm place or an oven preheated to warm and turned off. Let rise for 30 - 40 minutes, until doubled.
3.  Place a piece of parchment paper on the back of a baking sheet. Sprinkle with semolina or corn meal. Place dough on parchment and sprinkle liberally with olive oil.
4.  Shape dough, into a rectangle, spreading thin, about an inch of thickness.   Dimple the dough with your fingers and let rise for 20 - 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
5.  Preheat oven to 425.F degrees.
6.  Sprinkle dough with coarse sea salt and additional herbs
7.  Bake  at 425°F for 15-20 minutes until crust is deep golden and crispy.
8.  Cool on a wire rack, slide out the parchment paper.

  Have everyone tear their pieces of bread with their hands, and serve with olive oil flavored with fresh ground black pepper.

  Tip: I bake mine on a pizza stone, just slide the parchment onto the stone and bake.

  You can add different herbs, Parmesan, Mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, olives, you get the idea. Add cheese last 5 minutes of baking.

  Total time 1 hour 30 minutes