I love this type of leavened bread. To be honest, I love all leavened bread. Today I’m offering you a milk bread focaccia that’s incredibly soft and tasty. Tasty because it’s brushed with a mixture of oil and garlic that makes it very appetizing. Of course, if you don’t like garlic, you can omit it. Once cooked, you can decide whether to cut the whole focaccia in half and fill it with some cold cuts or to separate the various knots and use them instead of bread. I chose the latter option and served the bread focaccia at a snack with friends, accompanied by cold cuts and a selection of cheeses. It was a hit.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for the Milk Bread Focaccia
In this recipe, I used dry yeast, but fresh yeast is also fine. In that case, you could use about 10/12 g. If you’re interested in knowing the correspondence between these two different products, read the article I wrote about it. You can find it by clicking HERE.
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg (medium)
- 3 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 3/4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- black pepper
- 1 3/4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- A few leaves parsley
- chives (a few stems)
Tools
I prepared the dough for this milk bread focaccia with a stand mixer, but you can easily make it by hand by working the ingredients first in a bowl and then on the work surface.
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Hand Whisk
- 1 Bowl
- 2 Small Bowls
- Rolling Pin
- Pastry Brush
- 1 Baking Pan 28 cm diameter
Preparation of the Milk Bread Focaccia
Pour the flour into the bowl of the stand mixer, add the dry yeast and mix well with a small hand whisk.
Then add the milk and egg and start kneading with the dough hook.
When the dough has come together, add the oil and salt and continue kneading until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough that clings to the hook.
Transfer it to the work surface, knead it for a few moments with your hands, and shape it into a ball. Then place it in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise until it doubles in volume in a warm place away from drafts. The rising time, as always, depends on the room temperature and can vary from two to three hours.
Peel a clove of garlic, remove the central germ and finely chop it. Transfer it to a small bowl, add the oil, a pinch of salt, and a generous grind of black pepper and mix. Let this emulsion marinate until ready to use before baking. If you don’t like garlic, you can omit it and brush with just oil, salt, and pepper.
Wash and finely chop a few parsley leaves. Transfer the chopped herbs to another small bowl, add the chives cut with scissors, and the oil. Mix and set aside. This sauce will be brushed on the focaccia after baking.
Line the bottom of a 28 cm diameter baking pan with parchment paper and brush the edges with oil.
After the first rising time, transfer the dough to the work surface and flatten it first with your hands and then with the rolling pin to form a rectangle.
Then divide it into about ten strips.
Take each strip in your hand and gently stretch it, then cut it in half.
Form each piece into a small loaf by rolling it on the work surface and fold it into a knot shape.
Place the knots inside the prepared baking pan, cover with a clean dish towel, and let rise for another two hours.
After this second rising, brush the entire surface with the oil and garlic emulsion.
Bake the milk bread focaccia in a preheated static oven at 375°F for 15 minutes or until it is well golden.
Remove from the oven and brush with the oil, chives, and parsley emulsion. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Enjoy! Paola
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