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Hello, foodies…

In Friday’s blog I gave you a sneak peek at Wednesday night’s recipe because it happens to be the perfect complement to our Tomato-Lentil Soup. But in case you missed it, we’re making my Slow Cooker Focaccia with Italian Herbs. Yes, bread in a slow cooker—isn’t that awesome!?

Slow Cooker Focaccia with Italian Herbs

Serves 10

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 (0.25-oz) package active dry yeast
• 1-1/3 cups warm water
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary, divided
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano, divided
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley, divided
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preparation:

1. Mix together the water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Let stand for 8–10 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp of the rosemary, oregano, and parsley, and 1 tsp of the salt and extra virgin olive oil. Mix until combined. Add the flour, in 2 batches, mixing with your hands until fully combined and a sticky dough forms.
2. Lightly grease a medium-size bowl with nonstick spray. Place the dough into the bowl. Cover it with a lightly moistened kitchen towel and place the bowl in a warm area. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
3. Lightly grease the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. Line the slow cooker with two large pieces of parchment paper, crisscrossed, covering most of the surface of the dish. Make sure that at least 2" of parchment paper remains outside the slow cooker.
4. Punch the dough down to remove excess air, and place it into the prepared slow cooker insert. Cover it with a lightly moistened kitchen towel and place it in a warm area. Let the dough rise for another 20 minutes.
5. Set the slow cooker to high. Sprinkle the dough with the remaining rosemary, oregano, parsley, and salt. Tightly fold some paper towels or a dry cotton cloth over the top of the slow cooker and secure the lid. Cook for 2-1/2 to 3 hours, or until the bread is fully cooked.
6. Remove the insert from the slow cooker and place it onto a cooling rack. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Remove the bread from the slow cooker and cool slightly before slicing. 

I’ve always shied away from making yeast breads…and I think that’s the case for a lot of home cooks. There’s something about the resting, punching, and rising process that seems a little overwhelming. So I wanted to make homemade bread that's as easy as possible, and we were able to do it. The resting part is just over an hour. And there’s no need to watch the bread once you secure that slow-cooker lid. In 3 hours or less, you’ll have a beautiful homemade focaccia bread. How fun would it be to tell your guests that 1) not only did you make the soup from scratch, but 2) you also made the bread. And yes, you know how to “bake” homemade bread. No problem.

So stay tuned for that on Wednesday…as well as the Today’s Special Value®, foodies. Temp-tations® has a 20-piece bakeware set—in Old World or Floral Lace patterns. And, ALL Temp-tations are on Easy Pay…but only for the day. You heard it here first…now go fill up your wish list. And don’t forget about gifts for your friends and loved ones!

Keep it flavorful!

—David