When I was cooking ‘Chicken Cream Stew’ for dinner on a cold winter day, I wished if I had bought a nice crusty bread. At that moment, I had 50 minutes until dinner time. I started making bread from scratch!
I had a book about 40-minutes bread making and microwave enforced proofing was introduced in the book. I simply followed one recipe and made 4 small bread rolls. The bread rolls tasted OK but not proved well and 4 small rolls were not enough for my hungry family.
Since then, I have been improving my quick bread making recipe by trial and error. First of all, 40 minutes is not enough. 1 hour is necessary. Microwaving makes the dough warmer and definitely helps the proofing process. If the room is not warm enough, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder would help. Here is my 1-Hour Focaccia recipe for you to try.
Makes
4 Servings
Ingredients
Warm Water 3/4 cup
Dry Yeast 1 teaspoon
Sugar 1 tablespoon
Olive Oil 2 tablespoons
Bread Flour 2 cups
Baking Powder 1 teaspoon *optional but recommended
Salt 1/2 teaspoon
Extra Olive Oil
Salt & Herbs for topping
Method
Place Warm Water, Dry Yeast and Sugar in a bowl, mix gently and set aside.
Place Bread Flour, Baking Powder and Salt in a large heat-proof bowl, and mix to combine. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture and Olive Oil. Mix well to form a soft dough. Knead for 1 to 2 minutes, adding extra flour if required, until smooth and elastic.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Heat in the microwave on low power (150 to 200W) for 30 seconds, and set aside in a warm place for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, punch down the dough slightly, then heat in the microwave on low power (150 to 200W) for 30 seconds again.
Transfer the dough on a lightly oiled baking tray OR lined with baking paper. Using your fingers, flatten the dough to 30cm in length and about 1cm thick. *Note: Drizzle some Olive Oil over the dough will make it easier to flatten.
Cover with plastic wrap again and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 220℃.
Drizzle some Olive Oil, sprinkle 1 pinch Salt and some Herbs over, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.
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