Out Of My Control

Ok so I actually had a really cool post planned out for you today, halfway written and everything 😀

Then, you will never guess, half way through writing BAM the computer froze and came up with some weird message. Not good… but then at the bottom I saw an ‘auto recovery angel’ and I just about kissed my computer!

IMG_1822
After a quick reboot, I was still grinning to myself.

  1. Documents
  2. Non-School
  3. Blogging Folder
  4. Food Diary
  5. Non-Chocolate
  6. WHERE IS MY DOCUMENT?

Oh snap, my computer just totally betrayed my trust!

How I felt...

How I felt…

Honestly sometimes I wonder why we live them, then how can we live without them – they are the real ball and chains in the world 😉

Anyway, because of my little (HUGE) mishap with my computer, I am afraid I have to give you a slightly shorter post today. Want to know why? Because I want to be bed in… 40 minutes because… I have school tomorrow. I know, do I want to do this, seriously?

Imagine pint sized year 7s bustling around, us year 12s looking around trying to find the graduates who made us feel so young last term…just imagine that!

IMG_1856
Do be honest, I am a slightly nervous to go into my final year of high school. But when I think about it, it is going to also be the best. Why is that?

  • A lack of surprises – we know our subjects, we know our teachers, it is a little comforting we will not be again in foreign waters, especially considering the importance our year
  • FORMAL – Year 12 formal, I intend to look like a goddess (goooood…. Totally has humility ;))
  • Graduation – Probably the saddest day but one of the most beautiful and closest you will feel with somewhat 200 people
  • Bossing around the younger grades… oh sorry was that not included? Oops 😉

IMG_1820
To celebrate and get rid of any nerves, I needed some warm food. Some food which epitomised comfort. And I got that through warm cheese, tomato and saucy toasty. Only it was not made on *shudder* store bought bread. Oh no, only the best for the last day.

IMG_1895
It was made on soft, fluffy, crusty on the outside focaccia bread with a herbed scent and flavour. Seriously, it is the only way to go 😀

Enjoy mes cheris!

*As always, my changes are in bold

Homemade Focaccia Bread
Source: Mastering The Art Of Baking

Ingredients:

  • Large pinch of caster (white) sugar
  • 500ml lukewarm water
  • 9g dried yeast
  • 50ml olive oil + extra for drizzling
  • 730g plain flour
  • 3 tsp salt
  • Sea salt flakes and rosemary sprigs (used Italian herbs instead of rosemary) for sprinkling

Method:

  1. Combine the sugar and 250ml water in a large bowl. Sprinkle over dried yeast and let sit for 5-6 minutes or until foamy.
    IMG_1796
  2. Add the remaining water and olive oil and use a wooden spoon to stir in about 1/3 of the flour and the salt, stirring until smooth
    IMG_1800
  3. Gradually add the remaining flour, stirring until the mixture becomes to stiff to stir and use your hands – *Note: The dough should remain quite soft so you may not need all the flour
  4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 7-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic
    IMG_1805
  5. Place in a large, oiled bowl and turn to coat in the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm draught-free area until doubled in size
  6. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C. Grease a 22x36cm baking dish with oil generously
  7. Knock back the dough with one punch to expel the air then transfer to the greased dish

    Get out those frustrations...

    Get out those frustrations…

  8. Use your hands to evenly into the dish. Use your fingertips to make deep dimples all over the surface and drizzle with extra olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt & Italian herbs
    IMG_1818
  9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a deep golden brown and cooked through
  10. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool

IMG_1824Note:

  • Best eaten on day of making but can be frozen, sealed in a freezer bag, for up to 4 weeks
  • Green Olive & Oregano Focaccia: Omit the sea salt flakes and rosemary. After making dimples in the dough, press 215g anchovy stuffed green olives into the surface. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with 2 tsp oregano
  • Potato, Sage & Pecorino Focaccia: Omit rosemary. Ad 125g of finely grated pecorino cheese to the dough with the flour. Before drizzling with olive oil and sprinkling the sea salt, scatter 300g of thinly sliced, scrubbed Kipfler (fingerling) potatoes and a small handful of sage leaves to the dough

And that is that mes cheris, wish me luck for tomorrow! EEK 😉

At least I know my lunch will be delish!

Blog Signature

141 Comments

  1. Aaarrrggghhh I would totally look like the photo of that enraged cartoon character if my computer crashed and I lost my documents. Good to see you bounce back with this delicious focaccia bread, which is so easy to make and so much tastier than store-bought. Enjoy every moment of grade 12 – it truly is an amazing year for all the reasons you listed and more. It’ll definitely be sad and bittersweet at the end but it’ll also signal the start of an entirely new and exciting chapter in your life. And I have no doubt that you’ll look like a gorgeous goddess at your formal!

    Like

  2. You poor thing, having to face a crazy, crashing computer. Don’t you just hate that! So, with what little time you had left before bed (then school), you went ahead and wrote another post AND baked. Ah, to be a teen with so much energy–those days are long gone for me. That’s why I love hearing what you have to say!!

    Like

  3. Oh, I so dislike computer issues!!! I wish I was more computer savvy. It’s kind of like the car… I can run it, but I can’t do anything other than that!
    LOVE the fococcia you have here! And I’m pretty darn sure I have a husband who would love me even more if I made this for his lunch!!

    Like

  4. Cakelaw says:

    Ooooh, when you get to your formal, please do post a photo of your dress. How exciting! The last year of high school really is the edge of a new world – enjoy. In that frame of mind, I think I woukd enjoy this fabulous foccaccia very much.

    Like

  5. Catherine says:

    Dear Uru, your bread looks wonderful. I have come across the same problems when typing out recipes. And they say technology is supposed to make out lives easier! Well my dear, blessings to you, your friend, Catherine xo

    Like

  6. Kate says:

    Looks delicious! I just love a good bread and the photo looks exactly like the one from the recipe. I love it when that happens. So sorry about the computer glitch. Hate it when that happens!

    Like

  7. Mmm, there is nothing better than a warm slice of crusty focaccia, drizzled with a little olive oil, or dipped in some gravy (the red kind, but you should know that by now!)

    Don’t worry too much about year 12. I didn’t find senior year to be much different, except for the fact that I had a lot of electives, so I spent most of the day in the art wing. Good times.

    Like

  8. Uru yesterday night we were both jinxed!!!

    I dropped by yesterday night but with my days luck, wordpress didn’t allow me to log in for some crazy reason so the comment disapeared.

    I had the same issue yesterday with my post, there was no electricity so I was forced to finnish my post on the phone. Wrote it and it got deleted, wrote it again and it never saved, finaly the third time it went through… Believe me I know how you felt!!

    Wish u a lovely week ahead my friend! 😉

    Like

    • ugh that sounds awful my friend, thank goodness it is fixed now! I can’t imagine even half of what you felt! Commitment on your behalf!
      Have a wonderful now relaxing week ma amie!

      Cheers
      CCU

      Like

  9. Shirley Tay says:

    Yah, I know how u feel….. hope it’s back to normal. Technology is something we can’t live without these days :<

    Lovely bake, my dear! I'm sure it takes away some unhappiness 🙂

    Like

  10. libishski says:

    Ick, computers. I’ve lost year 12 work before due to computer stuff-ups and have been meticulous with saving documents every five minutes ever since!

    Oooh exciting times ahead. I expect a few formal photos on this blog, missy!

    Like

  11. Nami | Just One Cookbook says:

    Oh my gosh I just had to laugh when I saw that expression… that picture shows the situation SO well. And I get that expression a lot in my life…. I must be blind or something. I’ve lost some of my documents before too, and cannot find it forever. I don’t know how to get it back and felt so angry. So many times while cooking, baking, and photographing. Sigh. That expression really looks like my face! Your focaccia bread on the other hand looks absolutely perfect!!!

    Like

  12. I know exactly what you mean about computers and how we cannot live without them but at the same time they can cause us so much headache 😦

    Hope the technical issues have been solved now! Oh oh oh I love that you’ve been posting recipes from the Mastering of Baking book because I have that too but I haven’t had time to try the recipes out, now I know that they work and I can now go and to those recipes and try them out as well 😉

    Like

  13. mjskit says:

    I was telling my husband last night that I wanted to make focaccia for the first time and here it is! I guess it was meant to be. Good timing! Hope you got some sleep and that your computer is back. I now store ALL of my files in the cloud and love it! No files lost!

    Like

  14. hotlyspiced says:

    You’ll have so much fun in Year 12. It’s a really fun time. I hope you post some ‘Goddess’ photos! I’ve lost posts before and had real meltdowns over it. It always happens when I do my best writing! xx

    Like

  15. Liz says:

    Ugh…don’t you hate when things like that happen? I tried to edit a post on my iphone once, and the whole thing disappeared. Lovely. Your focaccia looks fantastic! And you’ll have a blast in Grade 12!!!

    Like

  16. You have such talents! Bread making isn’t my forte…I tried, but failed miserably every time. You’r look so good, almost makes me jealous!
    About this computer thing…trust me when I say, it’s time to get it fixed or looked at. My old one acted funny for a while and then it just went! And when they go without telling there will be no frustration bigger than that!

    Like

  17. Kimby says:

    CCU, that is the most PERFECT photo of a “bread dough punch” I’ve ever seen! (Well done!) I hope it helped you as much as your focaccia bread & variations will help me… 🙂 xo!

    Like

  18. eliotthecat says:

    Bread looks fabtastic. Good luck on senior year.

    I do remember when we didn’t have immediate access to internet, cell phones, etc. (because I am ancient!!!!). Continuance to cherish your last year!!!!!

    Like

  19. Susan says:

    When the computer hiccups we all panic! I try to store everything on an external hard drive with another one as a backup in case the first one fails. I know overkill but I would have a heart attack if I lost everything.

    Beautiful foccacia and you are going to have a wonderful senior year!

    Like

  20. Saskia (1=2) says:

    Ace post CCU, as usual. I can relate to computer mishaps (love your cartoon!). I recently accidentally deleted an entire, lengthy blog post then discovered there was a ‘recovered posts’ function, before eventually breathing again… The focaccia looks incredible. I can almost smell it. You’ll love Year 12. It’s the best!

    Like

  21. Beautiful looking bread. Soooo sorry to hear about your computer! That happened to me once on a lemon tart post I took HOURS writing and it just deleted itself…. I’ve never gotten over it. Hahah.

    So exciting being in your final year! I remember mine but it seems so long ago now :(:( haha. Exciting about the formal too 🙂 You will have to post pics of your goddess-ness hehe

    Like

  22. I LOVE foccacia and HATE computer mishaps but we’ll stay with the positive. If it was up to me I would make foccacia everyday but then the doors will have to be widedned or removed all together lol
    Good luck in your final year Uru..I just know you will do an amazing job in it

    Like

  23. Wow this looks amazing! I adore Focaccia. You have made it look so easy! It’s making me very hungry. Sorry I’ve not been around for a while. Things have gone a bit crazy here and all will be revealed at some point. Sorry about your computer. They are great when everything works but the most frustrating thing in the world when they’re not working. What would we all do without them!

    Like

  24. Pingback: Out Of My Control – homemade foccacia bread « Daktari Properties

  25. Your bread looks wonderful. A bakery in town gave me several recipes for various types of focaccia bread years ago and I never made it. I should pull those out and try them, especially after seeing how beautiful yours turned out.

    Like

  26. I know how you feel about your computer.. Oh technology! What would we do with it? good luck with your final year at school!Am sure you will be having a good lunch today! Thanks for the idea with the potato, sage and pecorino foccacia. that sounds amazing! I’ll try that soon!

    Like

  27. Foccacia – my son’s favorite bread. Good job, Uru. 🙂 So happy you figured out what to do with your computer. It can be very frustrating. I live with a computer expert, so that helps. 🙂

    Like

  28. Have a wonderful year 12 in school! It was not that long ago I finished high school, then moved onto college and Uni. Then BAM! work, and have been doing that like well.. several years now. I love a good focaccia, and definitely wouldn’t mind baking it from scratch. Cheers~

    Like

  29. Oh I really need to make a foccacia again soon. I love the aroma throughout the kitchen. Especially with the herbs on top. Yours looks absolutely amazing! I cheat and use a breadmaker 😉 This is on my list of to do’s for today, thanks for sharing… oh BTW, have you had any problems with my new site??

    Like

  30. thelady8home says:

    Uru,you are brilliant! Truly. AND just not for baking…..I can already see you authoring cookbooks, and non cookbooks, hosting TV shows, and cooking. Serious cooking. And when I go to eat in a CCU restaurant, I am going to brag that I know the person who created all this. Hugs! You are going to have a blast in the final year of your school.

    Like

  31. Gina says:

    Good luck in school. I would like to chuck my computer out of the window sometimes, but something always stops me, lol. I would never throw fresh bread out of the window though, especially one this nice.
    -Gina-

    Like

  32. petit4chocolatier says:

    Sorry to hear about your technology frustration. Rest assured; we all have those same moments! Your positivity shines through. I love Foccacia and have never prepared it. Your delicious recipe and pictures are inspiring me!

    Like

  33. kitchenriffs says:

    Don’t you hate computer problems? Such bummers. But nice recovery! Sounds like you’re planning on having a wonderful senior year at school. And this bread looks terrific. Fun post – thanks.

    Like

  34. Ramona says:

    I know you will do great in your last year of school!! Wishing you a year filled with loads of wonderful memories and great times. 🙂 Now onto this gorgeous foccaccia. I can see how airy, light and wonderful it tasted. Aaaamaaazing!! I have said this before… and I will say it again…. you amaze me with your skills!! I’m over 40 and I have yet to make something like this. If this is where you are at your young age….by the time you are 40 you will be a rockstar!!

    Like

  35. Saguna says:

    I LOVE home-baked focaccia and this looks so perfectly fluffy and soft. Your potato and sage idea sounds great too! Yum!

    Have fun with your final year and good luck! The last year of high school is a pretty great time, it was for me at least. Enjoy being with friends and bossing around the itty bitty younger grades. 🙂

    Like

  36. Starr says:

    Looks delicious! I love Focaccia Bread, but have never made it myself. Perhaps you’ve inspired me 🙂

    Best of luck for your first day back to school (not that you’ll need it, because you’re going to do great!).

    Like

  37. navane64 says:

    Not that I don’t enjoy your sweet treats but this savory bread is one of those I love love love. I also adore the fragrance of rosemary and surprisingly this herb is growing fabulously in my little garden.

    Have a good sleep and go with the flow of the final year. Everything will fall in place and take one step at a time.

    Like

  38. It really hacks me off to lose something I’ve written. It’s happened so many times that I’m a nutcase about saving every 30 seconds.

    Good luck with school. We’ll eat the rest of this fantastic foccacia while you’re gone.

    Like

  39. Baker Becky says:

    Awesome bread! I absolutely LOVE foccacia bread….so good plain or dipped in good olive oil and balsamic, or made into a yummy sandwich! mmmmmmmmm……

    Good luck with your final year of school! I know that you will do great, but don’t forget to enjoy it all and have some fun! 🙂

    Like

  40. Medeja says:

    Hehe..computer’s can be really annoying. It is one of my biggest fears that something happens and I would loose half of my life that it inside my laptop.. 😀

    Mmm. focaccia one of my favorite breads..that I haven’t tried making. Shame on me.. 😀

    Like

Leave a reply to Sabrina @ Living, Learning, Eating Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.