Italians have known for a long time that their meals are not complete without wonderful bread on the table. Their solution? Focaccia. This flattened, oil slathered bread is so versitile that one could serve it plain or with all the fixings of an everything pizza. The role of Focaccia in history dates back to the ancient Greeks, I wonder if that’s why a little ceaser’s pizza looks so familiar.
Theirs 
Mine
To wrap our minds around what we are about to make, think of this as making pizza dough but without all of that tossing in the air stuff. We are going to use the recipe for my easy yeast bread to get the dough ready. Once you have the dough at its first rise, check back in here for the next steps.
Tip on this dough code:
Prepare a cookie sheet with oil and salt. This will help develop the crunchy bottom and deliver fantastic flavor with every bite.
Once you have your dough risen, take it and pour it onto your cookie sheet. Gently press down and out, stretching the dough to cover the bottom of the cookie sheet. Do not worry about keeping the edges of the dough to the edges of the pan. The pan should have enough oil on it to where there is some spring back of the dough away from the edges. We are going to let the dough rest for about 30 minutes once we are finished with this step.
When you have your dough thoroughly spread, take your fingers and create divits on the surface. You are not wanting to go all the way through, just enough to create a little dimple in the dough. Next, take some olive oil and distribute evenly over your dimpled surface. Now we can begin to add toppings.
A traditional focaccia would have garlic, tomatos, onions or olives. Herbs like rosemerry, basil or oregano can be added too. I made this one with garlic, onions, spicy sausace and jerk chicken. One of the wonderful things about focaccia is the versitility of this dough.
From here, take your topped dough and leave it alone. Letting this rise for an additional 20-30 minutes will allow the yeast to do its magic and create the chewy vessel to deliver your flavorful additions. No one said that making tasty things was quick! Have patience. On the other-hand, if you are going for more of a “thin-crust” pizza, you can pre-heat your oven now and get to cooking.
When your dough has risen to your liking, pre-heat your oven to 425 F (218 C).
Place your dough into the oven once warmed and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Rotate the focaccia half-way through to ensure even heating.
The next steps are up to you. I have sliced this up into 16/18 pieces or keep it simple if 6 will do.
