Thursday, July 15, 2010

Rosemary whole-wheat focaccia and my last name


I have a very uncommon last name. Bon. I also have a last name that makes for a lot of jokes. The main one, 'You're Bon, Adriana Bon'. And now you tell me that you don't see what's so funny about it. Well, Spaniards pronounce Bond and Bon pretty much the same way. So I'm officially the niece of agent 007.

Even though there's a large number of  'Bons' in the region where my dad is from, Castellon, the name comes originally from a region in Italy, Veneto. My sister, who is a librarian, found out our origins after thorough research on the subject. Still, we have never met anyone with the same name outside of our little reduct in Spain.



Here's where life gets very ironic. The same sister who found out about the last name, moved to Italy 3 years ago. She lives in 'La Spezia', which belongs to the region of  'Liguria'. Turns out, right by the train station of the city, there's a piazza with a really curious name. Piazza Saint Bon. My sister didn't even tell me about it until the first time I went to visit. When she pointed at the sign with the name and started laughing.

This is the reason why, when I found out the Bread Baking Day of this month was about italian breads, I had to make the typical bread of Liguria, Focaccia. This light, crispy on the outside and soft in the inside bread, is ideal to munch on. It accepts whatever toppings you want to bake it with. I chose rosemary, but you can definitely add tomatoes, olives, capers or whatever herbs you want.


I've seen focaccias of all thicknesses possible. Mine is on the thin side, probably because of the addition of whole wheat flour. I feel like it adds a depth of flavor to it. Of course, the olive oil does a great part of that job. Don't substitute it, please, the result won't be as good.

Rosemary whole-wheat focaccia
Print this recipe

1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 packet instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil

For topping
1 tablespoon rosemary
3 tablespoons olive oil

In a big bowl, mix together the flours, salt and yeast. Add the water and oil and mix until combined. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Grease a bowl and place the dough to rise until doubled in volume or for 1 1/2 hours. 

Transfer the dough into a 17 by 9 inches baking sheet. Press it down until it covers the entire pan. With the tips of your fingers, make indentations on the dough. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the surface. Sprinkle with the rosemary and let it rest for about 20 minutes. 

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Bake the focaccia for about 20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let it cool and cut into squares. 


Like I said, this post is part of the Bread Baking Day challenge of this month, Italian breads and it will also be sent to Yeastspotting

14 comments:

lucy said...

mamma mia adoro la focaccia al rosmarino adatta ai salumi e ai formaggi.tipicamente italiana!!!bel blog

Anh said...

ohhh! I love this foccacia, well-done!

About last name: I have the most common Vietnamese surname in this whole world!! lol

lifesabatch said...

Just found your site and loving it! :)

Maria said...

I just love it!
Estic tant desconectada que ara mateix haure d'anar a comentar-te tot el que no he fet en aquests dies de levitacio total!
sobre la focaccia, simplement m'encataaaaa, estas fent unes receptes increibles!!

M. said...

beautiful! I can see it in my picnic basket :)

sweet story with your last name :)

Ksenia said...

Que curiós, lo dels origins italians :) Jo no tinc ni idea d'on venen els nostres origens. No ho sabem del cert, però suposem que per part de mare tenim parents d'alguna de les repúblques bàltiques.

Jo gairebé sempre faig servir oli d'oliva pels pastissets i fins i tots pels pastissos (sí, fins i tot els dolços) i de moment sempre he tingut bons resultats.

Tornes a Espanya per vacances? Quan? Jo segurament em mudaré a Barcelona cap a principis de setembre, però em passaré l'agost currant >.< Jo també odio els tràmits burocràtics T.T Sort que ara tinc permís de residència permanent....

Julius said...

Thanks for telling me the equivalence of a spoon. I've just seen your comment on my blog. Thanks again and spend a nice summer time.
Greetings
JULIUS

Shaheen {The Purple Foodie} said...

Using wholewheat for bread is something I haven't baked with. I can imagine the taste being more,earthy, nutty. Mom makes whole wheat roti, but that is unleavened.

Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen said...

I love rosemary on bread. This looks great. I'd love it with a bowl of pasta on a cold day. Can't wait for fall!

Anonymous said...

It's very interesting for me to see a whole wheat focaccia - sounds very healthy! Enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for participating in BBD!

Audax said...

A whole wheat focaccia is so good and it looks so good well one on this BBD challenge and the recipe looks so simple also. Cheers from Audax from Sydney Australia.

zorra said...

I think you are 007 of bread baking your foccacia looks amazing. :-)

Anonymous said...

My cousins last name is "Bon", and her family and herself are from Guadalajara, Mexico. Though, my uncle (her dad) says his grandfather was from Asia. I think it's a cute last name. :D

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