Yesterday was so gloriously Spring-like and beautiful that I decided to break with tradition (since climate change is so obviously doing the same) and go to Lowes and buy my annual herbs before Spring Break. The oregano, mint, and rosemary were still growing strong, so I was so thrilled to get my fingers knuckle-deep in that dank soil and firmly re-plant my sweet basil, thyme, sage, cilantro, etc. I am now ready for all the herbal cooking challenges!
Later, I finally busted out the Bread Bible my cousin gave me for Christmas. As I perused the various sexy-sounding recipes, I was most turned on by the relatively simple focaccia with a layer of fresh herbs "laminated" into the surface. Hey! I just happen to have all the fresh herbs! SQUEE! Let's DO THIS.
I took a hike to Publix yesterday to get the durum flour. The book said avoid semolina if possible, because it's a coarser grind than straight up durum, but that's all I got, so we're going with it.
Because this ISN'T SOURDOUGH, there's no too much babysitting involved. Just a few sets of folding/kneading/resting routines.
Of course, when it came to the herb layer, I chose rosemary, thyme and sage from my newly refreshed garden. It was fun rolling out a thin piece to fold over the herbs and then roll it. After 2 more hours of rising, it was time to rub oil into it and poke it to make cute dimples.
It only took 15 minutes to bake! Smells so heavenly...
The crumb is so tender and light, with a beautiful bit of crunchy texture from the durum wheat... great just dipped in a little olive oil... oh man I'm making this all the time!