Community Cookbook: Focaccia Bread with Rob Ray from Fort Worth, Texas

Recipes tell the stories of communities and the people who shape them. Each recipe is more than a list of ingredients and steps; it is a written legacy of the individual who created the dish, their family and history. This monthly series highlights one of these legacies and gives readers the chance to create the recipe themselves.

Rob Ray did not ease into the hobby of bread baking.

Instead, he baked approximately 100 loaves of bread in two weeks, which he then sold at Annie Laurie’s, an eclectic shop in Cape Girardeau owned by his wife, Laurie Everett. That was in December 2022, but Ray is still baking focaccia and jalapeño cheddar bread regularly, usually at the end of each week.

“[Baking bread] is therapeutic. It absolutely is. … It takes a while, and then I start baking, and I might sit down for five minutes, and then the timer’s going off. But I’m in my zone,” Ray says.

Ray spent most of his childhood in Sikeston, Mo., and after he graduated from high school, he earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Southeast Missouri State University. Then, he left Missouri for Fort Worth, Texas, where he lived and worked for 22 years. He loved it there, and still loves it.

Ray says the Dallas-Fort Worth area is more than two major cities next to each other. He says there are also massive cities, such as Arlington where the Texas Rangers play, between the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas.

“It’s really fascinating how large it is. And I got to see it — even though it was big when I got there — I got to see it explode,” Ray says. “There’s nothing you can think of that you can’t find. … You can be out in the country in no time. You can be in the middle of the city in no time. And everything in between.”

Ray moved from Texas to Cape Girardeau in June 2021 after he met Everett online and later in-person. He says he instantly felt “welcomed” into his new city.

“I pretty much didn’t leave [Cape] after [meeting Everett]. … We just met and knew right from the start. [Our connection] was almost instantaneous. … I mean, it’s crazy to think, but yeah, I didn’t leave,” Ray says.

Ray has worked in the tech industry since he was 19 years old, doing everything from database management to software development. Most recently, he was in upper management, with the majority of his time taken up by emails and meetings. Ray says he was ready for something new, so he “semi-retired” from the tech world at the end of 2022.

“You know, unlike what I did [in tech], I see a result [in baking bread]. You see something, and you can eat it. And people comment on it. And it’s, like I said, therapeutic for me. It’s just a different world,” Ray says.

Ray wakes up early to prepare bread dough. He says it takes “a while” to prepare everything, usually about an hour. Then, it’s on to baking.

He says certain forms of baking require precision, but “there’s some forgiveness with bread.” That’s why he typically doesn’t measure too precisely when mixing dough. He goes by instinct and can usually tell how a loaf will bake based on the dough’s consistency.

Ray says being with Everett has helped him explore his creativity more and pursue hobbies like antique “picking” and bread baking.

“I’m definitely an analytical brain. Obviously, what I did for a career was analytical,” Ray says. “I mean, I never probably would’ve done this without her or without the thought of what she does.”

Three loaves of Rob's bread sit on the counter. The lighter loaves are focaccia bread with sea salt and other spices; the darker bread is a jalapeño cheddar loaf.Photo by Jasmine Jones

Three loaves of Rob's bread sit on the counter. The lighter loaves are focaccia bread with sea salt and other spices; the darker bread is a jalapeño cheddar loaf.Photo by Jasmine Jones

__Focaccia bread__

(Makes two loaves or one big loaf)

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 cups lukewarm water

Olive oil

Desired seasonings

Whisk together flour, yeast and salt. Add water, and mix until liquid is absorbed. Rub with olive oil. Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 12 hours or up to three days. Line the baking pan with parchment paper. Pour two teaspoons of olive oil into the pan. Deflate dough from the sides, pulling into the center and rotating the bowl until it’s a ball. Divide dough into two loaves, or make one big loaf. Roll into a ball and coat with olive oil on the counter in the baking pan. Let it rest for another three to four hours. Preheat oven to 435 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour two teaspoons of olive oil over the dough, and lightly rub to coat. Press the dough with your fingers to form little pockets in the top of the dough. Sprinkle with flake salt. (Or, go crazy with it at this point and put whatever your heart desires on it. This is the fun part of making it and being creative.) Bake for 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool, and enjoy!

__Jalapeño cheddar bread__

(Makes two loaves)

3½ cups bread flour

2½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 jalapeños, coarsely chopped

1 jalapeño, sliced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups warm water

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon olive oil

Combine flour, two cups of cheese, chopped jalapeños and salt. In a separate bowl, combine water and yeast. Let yeast bloom for about 10 minutes. Pour flour into the water mixture, and stir until all is incorporated. Then, with spatula, fold dough around the edges into the center — about eight folds. Let dough rest for one hour. Fold edges to center again — about eight times — and let rest for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a Dutch oven inserted during preheating. Turn dough out, divide into two and form into a ball. Put on parchment paper that fits in the Dutch oven. Brush dough with olive oil, sprinkle with cheese and put sliced jalapeños on top. Carefully remove the Dutch oven once preheated. Place one dough ball into Dutch oven and put lid back on. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid, and bake 20 more minutes. Let cool, and enjoy!

Learn to make focaccia bread with Rob at The Best Years Facebook page.