Easy Italian Focaccia
Easy Italian Focaccia Recipe
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
- 500 g strong bread flour alternatively all purpose
- 7 g sachet of dried yeast fast acting one otherwise need more proving
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus about 2 more for greasing the tin
- 300 ml warm water
- 2 tsp fine salt salt flakes will not work well in the dough
- couple of springs of fresh rosemary leaves picked or as a whole spring
- flaky salt to taste after baking
Instructions
- 1. Measure the flour into a large mixing bowl and mix the salt and the yeast in. Preferably first the yeast on one side and then the salt on the other - then mix everything together. The dried yeast doesn't like getting into direct contact with the salt and if that happens it looses its potent.2. Then make a little well in the middle of the flour and add the 3 spoonfuls of olive oil followed by 300 ml warm water. Mix everything together and add more water if required. The dough should not be sticky but equally, it needs to be soft.3. Knead the dough vigorously for a minute or two so everything is well combined and then place it back in the blow, cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for an hour on room temperature.4. After an hour, check on your dough, it should have risen to almost double the size and you should see little air bubbles formed (if you use a glass mixing bowl like me - pictured)
- 5. Use a shallow tin, rectangle shape works the best, but can be any really, around 30x30cm or 40x40 cm or similar. Oil it with olive oil, make sure all the walls and the bottom of the baking dish is covered. tip the dough into the baking dish and cover it for another half an hour or so. If you don't have the time for this go ahead and bake - but it won't be that perfectly fluffy as it supposed to be. Still good, though. Sprinkle with flaky salt and rosemary spings/leaves.(At this point, you can decorate it however way you want!)
- 6. Place it in the oven and bake it for about 30 - 40 minutes on 220 Celsius/200 Celsius on fan. You can test with a wooden toothpick. If it comes out clean - the focaccia is baked. I like to give the top a little golden glow.7. Drizzle a little more olive oil over it once it's fresh out of the oven and let it cool a little before serving.
