We love bread in this house. We eat it every day, more than once a day. There is nothing better than a warm slice of bread fresh from the oven. I am quite simple in my tastes and quite enjoy it on it's own with a tiny bit of butter and a sprinkle of salt or just alongside a slice of Salami, oh and of course slathered in Nutella for breakfast,
One of my favourite breads though is one that is purely savoury, Focaccia. I adore it! It's insanely delicious, all nice and fluffy and chewy with a delicious olive oil taste. It also makes the best sandwiches (amazing with Porchetta!) and is even incredibly tasty as a grilled cheese!
I have a recipe for Focaccia that I've been making for at leat 6 years, I don't even remember where I got it from, I just know that I love making it, it's so easy and versatile! When I say easy, I mean EASY, no kneading, no fancy equipment or anything, just a bowl and a spatula and you get the fluffiest, tastiest bread you can imagine. You can also flavour it in almost anyway you want which is awesome, I love it with Rosemary or Sage.
So fluffy!! |
Focaccia makes 8-10 slices
Ingredients:
- 530g Strong White Bread Flour
- 2tsp Salt
- 12g Yeast
- 410ml Warm Water
- 3tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Combine the Flour and Salt in a large bowl (if using dried yeast add that in too).
- In a separate bowl/jug, whisk together then yeast, water and oil.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and pout in the liquid.
- Use a large spatula to fold in the liquid, making sure that no pockets of flour remain.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and allow to rise for an hour or so until at least doubled in size.
- Lightly oil a 15"x10" tray and then scrape the dough out onto the pan. (you could use a 13x9 pan if you want a thicker bread).
- Press it down to fill the pan evenly (it's a good idea to oil your hands for this as the dough is very sticky).
- Cover and allow to rise again until doubled in size.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220c/200c Fan/Gas Mark 8
- Once risen, use your fingertips to make dimples all over the dough at 4cm intervals (again oiling up is a good idea!).
- Drizzle with 2tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkle with 1tsp Salt.
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the pan half way through, until golden.
Rosemary Focaccia:
Add 3tbsp finely chopped fresh Rosemary to the flour and salt.
Focaccia Pizza:
Before cooking, gently spread over passata and sprinkle with oregano. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with 1 ball of mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes more.
Sage and Red Onion:
Finely slice one red onion and a 6 or 7 sage leaves. Sprinkle evenly over the dough before baking as usual.
Olive Focaccia:
Finely chop a handful of your favourite olives and add to the flour and salt. Once risen add a few halved olives on top for decoration and bake as usual.
With Rosemary |
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