Don’t forget to go through the baking tips first, CHECK IT NOW!
If you’re a bread lover, then focaccia it is. I went through a phase where I had focaccia almost every single day for lunch at work..it gave me that special moment when I was working. I just love having my focaccia on the side of any dish or completely on its own. Its so much fun, because you can top it off with so many different things – olives, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, rosemary…you choose! Then sprinkle some more olive oil on top if you wish. It’s best eaten warm and the day it’s baked, but it can be stored if wrapped well.
Prep time: 20 mins – Rising time: 1-2 ½ hours – Cook time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 cup warm water (mix ½ cup of boiling water with 1 ¼ cup cold water)
- 7 grams yeast
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- Handful of fresh rosemary
Equipment:
| Measuring cups and spoons |
| 1 large bowl, lightly greased |
| Electric whisk (standing preferable) |
| 9 * 13 inch / 23 * 33 cm baking pan, lined with parchment paper and lightly greased with olive oil on top of the parchment paper |
| Scale |
How to…..
In the bowl of a standing mixer, sprinkle the yeast on the water and sugar and let it aside for 5-10 minutes until it gets foamy. Once the yeast is ready, add the flour, olive oil (minus 1 tablespoon) and salt and mix with the dough attachment. Beat it for about 5 minutes on medium-speed. You’re done when the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If its sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until you get the right texture whereby its not sticking to the sides of the bowl.
Roll the dough into a ball and place into the greased bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size. This should take about 1-2 hours. Alternatively, put it in the fridge and let it rise overnight.
Take the dough out onto the baking pan. Press down on the dough to shape into the pan all the way to the edge. Cover it again with a kitchen towel and it rise for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius.
After it rises, with your fingers poke deep into the dough all over the surface of the dough – all the way down to the pan. Drizzle olive oil over the top of dough and insert the fresh rosemary into the dents. Sprinkle the sea salt over the dough. Bake for 20 minutes until golden.
Remove from the oven and you can drizzle more olive oil if you wish. Best when served warm.
You can also top your focaccia with parmesan.