An Easy Appetizer For Low-Key Hangs

What food do you set out when hosting friends? I’m a huge fan of friends stopping by, and stoop hangs, and parties of all kinds, but snacks can sometimes throw me — what’s easy but not boring? My hack: King Arthur Baking, our favorite flour company, makes a popular focaccia mix kit, and it’s very simple. Here’s what I made…

I’ve always been a sucker for focaccia. The bread is airy, crispy, and makes you feel like you’re sitting on the Italian Riviera. I’ve served the focaccia mix kits many times — sometimes plain, sometimes with toppings, all delicious. Once I topped the bread with cinnamon sugar (the boys went nuts). Another time I went with a savory combination of roasted broccoli, ricotta, and Parmesan.

This week, feeling inspired, I decided to make the focaccia mix kit two ways: 1. the traditional way, with olive oil and sea salt, and 2) topped with briny green Castelvetrano olives. The mix comes together in just around an hour and makes the whole house smell amazing.

Making the focaccia base is surprisingly simple. First, you stir together the focaccia mix and yeast in a bowl, then add 1 1/2 cups of hot water and two tablespoons of olive oil. Once everything is mixed, just let the dough rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Afterward, scoop the dough into a pan coated with olive oil and flip the dough over to coat both sides with oil. Then gently spread it to the edges of the pan. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes and then drizzle it with two more tablespoons of olive oil. Finally, use your finger tips to “dimple” the dough. Bake the bread for 20 to 30 minutes, and top it off with sea salt right after it comes out of the oven. (Here’s the full recipe, if you’d like to see.)

The result? Airy, chewy bread you can’t stop munching on. The sea salt and olive oil focaccia would be the perfect side for any dinner; and I can’t wait to serve the olive version at our next games night. You could pair it with white wine, grapes and cheese for a tasty, low-key spread.

What toppings would you add to the focaccia? Any yummy combos? King Arthur Baking’s bread kits have become a staple in our home, and I can’t recommend them enough. Their soft pretzel bites are a huge hit as an after-school snack, and the pull-apart garlic bread is really fun to make. Find all their mixes here, if you’d like. xoxo

P.S. How to get kids to talk at dinner.

(Photos by Yossy Arefi for Cup of Jo. This post is sponsored by King Arthur Baking. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Cup of Jo.)

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