Focaccia

Breads

Ingredients

• 250g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting 
• 175-200ml lukewarm water
• 3.5g (1⅛ tsp) dried fast action yeast
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp flaky sea salt
• 2½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for the tin and to serve
• 1 large sprig of rosemary, leaves picked (about 1 tsp)

Method

1. Add the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Mix the yeast with half a cup (125ml) of the water to activate it, wait a few minutes and add to the flour.
3. Add the fine salt and 1-1½ tbsp oil.
4. Add the rest of the water gradually and use the dough blade on low speed to mix together into a wet, slightly sticky dough (you may not need all the water).
5. Knead for a further 5-10 mins until the dough is soft and less sticky. Put the dough into a clean oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hr until doubled in size.
6. Oil a rectangle, shallow tin (25 x 35cm). Tip the dough onto the work surface, then stretch it to fill the tin. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for another 45 mins - 1 hr.
7. Heat the oven to 220°C. Press your fingers into the dough to make dimples in the dough.
8. Mix together 1 tbsp olive oil, the flaky salt and the rosemary and drizzle over the bread.
9. Bake for 20 mins until golden. Whilst the bread is still hot, drizzle over a further 1 or 2 tbsp olive oil. Cut into squares and serve warm or cold with extra olive oil, if you like.

[!TIP] Can be topped with confit garlic, caramelised onion rings or roasted vegetables prior to baking.

Variations

For onion-garlic focaccia (for one loaf):

• Peel 15 cloves of garlic, put in an oven-safe dish, cover with olive oil and sea salt and roast in a 160°C oven for about an hour, until starting to go soft and brown.
• Cut two onions into thick slices, place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake in an 200°C oven for 10-12 minutes until they start to soften and darken.
• Once the focaccia has finished the second rising, dimple the dough and scatter the whole roasted cloves into the recesses and drizzle the olive oil on top. Add the onion slices and bake as normal.

Caremalised onions and mushroom focaccia:

• Top the focaccia with carmelised onions and sautéed sliced mushrooms before baking.

Potato-rosemary focaccia:

• Thinly slice 150g of red potatoes and toss with olive oil, salt and rosemary.
• Top the focaccia with the potato slices and rosemary before baking.

Pesto focaccia:

• Top the focaccia with pesto before baking.

Courgette focaccia:

• Slice a courgette into long, thin slices using a peeler.
• Top the focaccia with a lattice of courgette slices before baking.