Cheddar and Rosemary Focaccia, the EASY Way

I love focaccia, but I’m a fan of quick meals and therefore quick breads. And the whole letting the dough rise, and then punching down, and then rising again, etc., etc., is just more trouble than I’d like to do on a regular basis. So I developed (look at me using food blogger lingo!) a recipe that uses my Easiest Pizza Dough in the History of Ever as a base. And wham-o! Easy peasy Cheddar and Rosemary Focaccia!

The DH and I had gone shopping at a local cheese shop two weekends prior to my making this recipe, and had picked up some yummy cheeses for a wine and cheese date night at home. We had some old Quebec cheddar leftover, so I thought I’d use it up in this recipe. (By the way, I also have a recipe for a yummy baked brie with chutney that I want to post here soon. Cheese. So yummy!)

I think I’ve talked before about how I usually eat lactose-free foods, and while that’s true, as long as I stick to a lactose-free diet most of the time,  I can eat some regular dairy products the rest of the time. So I didn’t use lactose-free cheese in this recipe. But I’m sure it’d be just as tasty if you do. (And if you do, let me know how it turned out!)

But enough with the blatherings, and on with the baking!

Cheddar and Rosemary Focaccia

• 1 batch Easiest Pizza Dough in the History of Ever
• 1/2 c. crumbled old cheddar
• olive oil
• 1 tbsp. dried Rosemary
• sea salt to taste

Make the pizza dough and spread/roll it out to the rough rectangle shape on an oiled cookie sheet. Spread a little olive oil over the top. Set it aside in a warm place for half an hour. If you like your focaccia really fluffy, leave it in a warm place for an hour. In the meantime, crumble the cheddar cheese, do the dishes, check your email, whatever floats your boat.

Once the dough has risen as much as you like, poke little dimples into it in a random pattern with your finger, using little stabbing motions. This makes the traditional dimpled top. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top, followed by the dried Rosemary and sea salt. If you want, you can also sprinkle a little olive oil, but not too much.

Bake in a 425 degree oven until the cheese is melted and the dough is golden. Slice with a pizza cutter, and enjoy!

I know I said in the beginning of this post that I don’t like waiting for dough to rise, and then I say to let the dough rise for half an hour to an hour, but there’s a reason for that! You don’t have to let the dough rise. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a crisper, denser, flatbread; and if you do let it rise, you’ll have the more traditional, fluffy focaccia. It’s up to you what you prefer!

And of course, you can switch up the toppings! Maybe some thinly sliced tomatoes and black olives? Mmm…want!

Next Post: Rhubarb squares, Nutella Rice Krispie squares, or Baked Brie with Chutney — all three are good, so I can’t decide which to post first! I’m leaning towards the baked brie with chutney, though. It’s covered in pie crust. And I do love my pie!

Linking Up at Meal Plan Monday!