Focaccia Ingredients
-20grams fresh yeast or 2x 7grams sachets of dried yeast
-20grams of runny honey
-500grams strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
-500grams fine semolina flour, plus extra for dusting (if you can’t get hold of any semolina
flour then plain flour will be fine
-10grams sea salt
-625ml tepid water
-Extra virgin olive oil
Optional Toppings
-Sea salt
-Olive oil
-Cherry tomatoes (whole or sliced in two)
-Your favourite olives (whole or sliced in two)
-Confit garlic
-Garlic
-Garlic olive oil (bought or handmade)
-Peppers
-Capers
-Basil
-Oregano
-Rosemary
-Any other herbs of your choice
Equipment
-Large mixing bowl
-Small mixing bowl to measure ingredients
-Weighing scales
-Baking tray
-A clean work surface
-Measuring jug
-Knife
-Clean, damp tea towel
-A warm space to prove your dough
-An oven
Focaccia Method
1. Dissolve the yeast and honey in 325ml of tepid water.
2. On your largest available clean surface (even a big bowl will do if surfaces are limited),
make a pile of the strong bread flour, semolina flour and 10g of sea salt. With one
hand, make a well in the centre.
3. Pour all the dissolved yeast mixture into the centre and with four fingers of one hand
make circular movements, from the centre working outwards, slowly bringing in the
dry ingredients until all the yeast mixture is soaked up by the flour.
4. Pour another 300ml of tepid water, a small bit at a time, into the centre and gradually
incorporate all the flour to make a dough. (Certain flours may need a little more
water, so don’t be afraid to adjust the quantities.)
5. Kneading! This is the best bit, just rolling, pushing and folding the dough over and
over for 5 minutes. It should feel like an arm workout. This develops the structure of
the dough and the gluten. If any of the dough sticks to your hands, just rub them
together with a little extra flour.
6. Flour both your hands now (using bread flour), and lightly flour the top of the dough.
Make it into a roundish shape and place on a baking tray. Score the dough with a
knife – this allows it to relax and prove more quickly.
7. Leave the bread to prove for the first time. Basically, we want it to double in size. You
want a warm, draught-free place for the quickest prove, for example near the cooker,
in the airing cupboard, in the plate warmer of a cooker or just in a warm room, and
you can cover it with a clean damp tea towel. The warmer the better! This proving
process matures the flour flavour and should take approximately 35 minutes. If the
space is too cold the dough will struggle to rise.
8. Now, have you thought about toppings? This is the time to prepare any toppings and
keep them to one side.
We are doing to do the Anzu general knowledge quiz. Take five minutes to make
yourself a drink and clean your kitchen space, ready for the next part of the session.
9. Right 35 minutes later, your dough is double the size and it is time to knock it back.
Knead and punch the dough hard, knocking all the air out of it, for about a minute.
This should feel like a workout.
10. Roll or push it out to an oval shape roughly 1.5cm thick; don’t fuss around for
perfection, it’s supposed to be rough and rustic, so what a great excuse for a
beginner!
11. Place on a baking tray liberally dusted with semolina and spread evenly with your
chosen topping (see tips from the list of toppings). Then add a generous splash of
olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.
12. Finally, make those characteristic holes by pushing all your fingers deep into the
dough many times, which allows the flavour of the toppings to penetrate.
13. Leave to prove again in a warm place and after about 20 minutes it will prove to that
classic 3cm high. Turn your oven on at this point.
14. Bake for about 15 minutes at full whack (240°C/475°F/gas 9) until ready, make sure
that your oven is already on and hot. As soon as the focaccia comes out of the oven,
feed it with a good drizzle of your very best extra virgin olive oil and another light
scattering of sea salt. You can eat the focaccia as soon as it has cooled slightly.
Take a picture of your finished Focaccia and send it Caroline, to send on to me. I will select a
winner. J
