Tuesday 23 October 2012

Focaccia Bread with rosemary and olives







  (adapted from BBC Food Recipes)


Ingredients

  • 1.5kg/3Ib 5oz strong white bread flour
  • 1 x 7g/¼oz sachet dried yeast
  • 50ml/2fl oz olive oil, plus a little extra for oiling
  • pinch salt
  • 570ml/20fl oz/1 pint warm water
For the topping

  • sprigs rosemary (fortunately, I have lots of
     rosemary  in the garden for this!!)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt

    handful of olives

Preparation method

  1. Combine the flour, yeast, olive oil and salt 
  2. Add the water to make a soft dough, and knead
     until smooth and shiny.
  3. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel 
    and leave in a warm place for about an hour until 
    well risen.
  4. Tip the mix out onto a floured surface and knead to knock out any air pockets.You can add some rosemary into the dough if you like - I always
    prefer it like this!! Roll the dough into an oval-like shape about 2cm/¾in thick. Transfer to an 
    oiled baking tray.
  5. Firmly press your fingers into the surface to 
    'pit' the surface. For the topping, drizzle wit
    olive oil and lightly grind sea salt over the top.
  6. Put a small sprig of rosemary and an olive
     into each pit.
  7. Cover with a tea towel and set the loaf aside for another 20 minutes.
  8. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
  9. Transfer the loaf to the middle shelf of the 
    oven and cook for about 15 minutes until golden brown.