Lunch Today: Focaccia Bites

Last night, I went out with my roomies to my favorite local restaurant, The Witches Brew, and Jane ordered the focaccia with tomato, rosemary and olive oil. Oh. My. It was amazing. So afterwards when we did our grocery shopping, I had visions of a home version dancing in my head. And somehow it came up that Lindsey had never tried anchovies, so they made their way into the recipe as well. These "bites" are perfectly snacky portions of focaccia, baked in muffin tins, topped individually with fresh basil, sliced tomato, and, if you so choose, anchovy.

1 package active dry yeast

3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon warm water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil (1 tablespoon reserved for pans)

2 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for surfaces

1 teaspoon salt

2 small tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced (12 slices; aim for tomatoes the same width as your muffin tin)

basil, chopped, to taste

12 anchovies torn into (optional)

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let stand until bubbles appear, about 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup flour, salt, and remaining flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead until loose and elastic, about 5-7 minutes. Put dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1-2 hours.

When the dough is almost done rising, grease all the muffin tins liberally with olive oil. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, divide the dough in 12 pieces, and press them into the muffin tins. Cover loosely and let rise again until doubled.

Preheat oven to 450. Dock the dough with your thumb and first three fingers, pressing to the bottom of the pan. sprinkle with basil, top with a tomato slice and, if you choose, an anchovy. If you skip the anchovies, sprinkle the tomato with a little salt - one teaspoon should cover almost the entire batch.

At 450, bake until golden brown and hollow-sounding, 20-30 minutes. Remove from muffin tins immediately, and serve still warm. Enjoy!

Nutritional info to come. For now, know they are roughly 150 calories each with the anchovies.