Peppered Foccacia

Bell peppers, herbs and mozzarella cheese punch up the flavor in this easy-to-make flatbread.

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hour 42 min

Makes: 2 focaccias (12 to 16 servings each)

2 3/4 to 3 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package regular or quick active dry yeast
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/2 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin slices
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin slices
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (2 ounces), if desired
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Mix 1 1/2 cups of flour, the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the yeast in large bowl. Heat water and 2 tablespoons of the oil until very warm (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F); stir into flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low speed about 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally, until batter is springy and pulls away from side of bowl. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Cover and let rise in warm pace about 1 hour or until double. (If using quick yeast, omit 1-hour rising; cover and let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.)

2. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Stir down dough; divide in half. Place each half on cookie sheet; press into 12-inch circle. Brush each circle with about 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil. Top each with half of the bell peppers, cheese, basil, oregano, garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 to 12 minutes.

3. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges. Serve hot.

Substitution
Nix the dried herbs for a fresher option. Simply use about three times the amount of freshly chopped herbs for the dried (for example, use 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil instead of 1/2 teaspoon dried).

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 80 (Calories from Fat 25 ); Total Fat 3 g (Saturated Fat 1 g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 110 mg; Total Carbohydrate 12 g (Dietary Fiber 1 g); Protein 2 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 0%; Vitamin C 2 %; Calcium 2 %; Iron 4 %

Exchanges: 1 Starch

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of Betty Crocker/© 2009 ®/^TM General Mills All Rights Reserved