Strawberry Basil Foccacia

I love foccacia bread!  It is always so delicious and it is fairly easy to make.  I love it served with soup, salad or just for snacking!  Although I have only ever made simple foccacia usually just with herbs and garlic or just plain, I see lots of them made topped with veggies, so I decided that I would try making a Strawberry Basil Foccacia!  Why not?  Strawberries are in season and I have loads of fresh basil growing in my herb pots.

A long time ago I was actually afraid to make my own yeast bread but now that I have made a bunch of it, the process really isn't that bad, and it is the perfect weekend morning activity!  And nothing compares to freshly baked bread!  This one is pretty simple to make.  I use rapid rise yeast so that the process is even faster as well than regular yeast (about half the time).  I just used AP flour for this, because it is something that I always have on hand. This bread uses plenty of olive oil which makes it nice and rich, which is what I love about foccacia other than the good flavor.

I wasn't quite sure how the fresh strawberries would bake up on top, since they have moisture, but they actually baked into it beautifully creating jammy little flavorful bursts of strawberry on top along with the savory basil.  I also sprinkled it with some flaked sea salt before baking to make it extra delicious! It smelled so delicious while baking I could not wait to try some!

This bread turned out super delicious and honestly I ate a bunch of it just as a snack because it was so good!  It was soft and savory, so good with the jammy strawberries and the fragrant basil a delicious combo on top!  If you are in a bread baking mood, definitely give this Strawberry Basil Foccacia a try!

Strawberry Basil Foccacia

Serves 16

• 1 3/4 cups warm water (110F degrees)
• 1 package rapid rise instant yeast (1/4 oz package)
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup chopped basil, plus more for topping
• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
• flaked sea salt for topping

1. In small glass measuring cup, combine the yeast, water and sugar and let sit 5 minutes.
2. Add to a large mixing bowl, and add the sea salt and flour.  Mix well, until completely combined then turn out onto the counter and knead for about 5 minutes.
3. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a glass bowl, and place the dough in it, rolling to coat it. Cover in plastic wrap and let double in bulk (about 30 minutes with the rapid rise yeast).
4. Place 1 Tbsp olive oil in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.  Place the dough in it, rolling it over to coat it, then spread it out in the pan to the sides. Cover with plastic and set aside to rise (for about 30 minutes with the rapid rise yeast).
5. Preheat oven to 425F degrees.
6. Once the dough has risen, make divets into it with your fingers and brush with olive oil.
7. Scatter the strawberries and basil over it and sprinkle with the flaked salt.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting and serving!