Focaccia - A taste of Italy!

Making our Cinnamon and Nutella rolls over the Easter break at our 6-12yr cooking classes and seeing the cooks enjoyment at making dough from scratch, kneading it and seeing it rise has prompted us to do more bread based savoury and sweet treats...

So we wanted to share with you our focaccia recipe - which like all the recipes we share can be adapted easily to your tastes and flavour preferences!

Alternative flavours; caramelised onions, roasted veggies, cherry tomatoes, juicy olives, red onions, grapes, tomato puree, sundried tomatoes, grated parmesan or knobs of feta cheese.

Sprinkle fresh or dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, basil or oregano to add a beautiful aromatic flavour.

Focaccia Bread – Rosemary

Makes 2 breads                                                 

250g strong white bread flour (sieved)

1 tsp sea salt

1 sachet dried easy blend yeast

1 tbsp olive oil

200ml warm water (not too hot)

Few sprigs of Rosemary

Olive oil, for drizzling

Fine sea salt

1.       Place the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil and 130ml of the water into a large bowl. Gently stir with your hand or a wooden spoon to form a dough then knead the dough in the bowl for five minutes, gradually adding the remaining water until its a sticky dough.

2.      Stretch the dough by hand in the bowl, tuck the sides into the centre, turn the bowl 80 degrees and repeat the process for about 8-10 minutes.

3.      Tip the dough onto an oiled work surface and continue kneading for five more minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, pour olive oil around the sides, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size (about 30 minutes-1 hour)

4.      Line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Tip the dough out of the bowl and divide into two portions. Flatten each portion onto a baking sheet, pushing to the corners, then leave to prove for 30mins - 1 hour (covered in a warm place)

5.      Preheat the oven to 220C or 200 degrees fan.

6. Drizzle the loaves with oil, put in the rosemary (using the tips of your fingers) and sprinkle with fine sea salt then bake in the oven for 20 minutes. When cooked, drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve hot or warm.

Focaccia goes with anything, from salads to soups, and it’s perfect for sharing, especially along with Italian appetizers.

Such as Italian cheese, Parma ham, spicy olives, sun dried tomato paste, marinated mozzarella, caprese skewers or pinzimonio for an authentic Italian dinner. Or use focaccia to make scrumptious sandwiches!