For the love of good bread

I've been craving the bread Sean and I had gotten at the Première Moisson bakery at the Marché Maisonneuve; it's an olive oil bread with herbs. It's not exactly a focaccia, not exactly a ciabatta either. Although I can't really figure out what it is, I decided that I should still make something similar to it to satisfy my craving. So, armed with a lot of research on the fabulous Internet, I decided that today would be the day I'd make my very own focaccia.

Like I said in my last video, I got myself a Larousse Gastronomique, often referred to as THE book any aspiring cook should have in his kitchen. Here is what the Larousse Gastronomique says about "focaccia":

An Italian olive-oil flat bread, of very ancient origin, since it dates to bakestone days. It is a hearth bread, traditionally flung into the oven just after the fire has been raked out, when the temperature is still too high to bake a larger loaf without burning the crust.

I made my focaccia with part whole wheat, part white flour and I added some dried herbs on top. Other than that, I pretty much followed the recipe on HubPages. Making bread is a labor of love; it takes time and a bit more effort than if you were just grabbing a slice of bread from the fridge. The kneading, how you wait for the dough to rise, the baking, and mostly, the anticipation...

When I took the first bite from my homemade herb focaccia, I understood how worth the efforts all this was. I enjoyed mine with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and some leftover smoked salmon from dinner last night. What a perfect way to spend this warm Sunday afternoon!

Je n'aurais pas pu trouvé meilleur compagnon pour le saumon fumé qu'il me restait du repas d'hier soir avec mes parents. Mon focaccia est bien croûté avec un centre moelleux, les herbes et le sel relèvent son goût de farine de blé parfaitement. En plus, il faut avouer qu'il est vraiment beau, non? :)