Few breads around the world can match focaccia for sheer deliciousness. Here Tom Whitaker reveals the secrets to how to make his bubbly focaccia recipe.
Ingredients
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 20g coarse semolina (or extra flour)
- 8g dried yeast
- 10g salt
- 50g olive oil
- 320g water
- Extra olive oil
Method
Put the flour and semolina, if using, into a bowl and add the yeast to one side and the salt to the other. Add the olive oil and water and mix together.
Turn out and knead for around 5-10 minutes, until it starts to look silky and feel smooth.
Put the dough into an oiled bowl and cover. If you use cling film to cover the bowl it’s a good idea to oil it.
Leave for an hour or until at least doubled in size.
Oil a baking tray and, using the help of a dough scraper, carefully turn out the dough onto the baking tray. Drizzle up to four tablespoons of olive oil over the top of the dough and, using your fingers, carefully push and prod the dough so that it spreads from the centre towards the edges of the tray.
Cover and leave to rest for about 45 minutes.
Then prod the dough with your fingertips to give the dimples, cover and leave for another 30 minutes. Set the oven to 250°C.
Sprinkle the focaccia with rock salt and put into the hot oven, turning it down immediately to 220°C.
Bake for around 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow if tapped.
Remove from the oven and slide onto a cooling rack. Brush with more olive oil while it is still hot.
And enjoy!
