Easy Focaccia
This recipe is pretty much the one I have used for YEARS, it’s from The Five O’Clock Apron by Claire Thompson…. I have adjusted the measurements a little for my cold kitchen and my oven - don’t be afraid to mess with the yeast and salt to your taste. Highly recommend the whole book - it has some real gems for family food that everyone will love.
Step one is best done the night before but the original recipe says a few hours… in the summer it definitely doesn’t take as long.
Focaccia is best fresh in my opinion, but we do sometimes make toasted sandwiches the next day if there’s any left (this rarely happens!)
You need:
A mixing bowl
44 x 30cm baking tray (or roughly this size - I have used many different sizes)
Ingredients:
500g strong white bread flour
10g dried yeast
10g sea salt (fine)
380g water
Lots of olive oil!
Flaked sea salt
Herbs - I like thyme, oregano and rosemary
Mix the flour, yeast, salt and water in a bowl and cover with a damp tea towel (wet with cold water and squeeze so its very damp)… I leave this overnight to give it plenty of time to rise, leaving somewhere warm will speed this up.
Liberally oil your baking tray with the olive oil making sure all sides are covered and there is plenty in the bottom - use more than you think… again you can just to taste and play with this as you make more!
Add your dough into the tray and push it into the four corners to shape it into the tin. Cover tight the damp tea towel again. Let this rise again at least for an hour, but you don’t want it going over the sides.
Preheat your oven to 250c/gas mark 7
When it’s risen with claw like hands push holes into the dough, all over - don’t go through to the bottom. Then add a little more olive oil all over the surface of the dough, add your herbs here too.
Bake at 250c/gas mark 7 for 10 minutes then turn the temp down to 180c/gas mark 5 and bake for another 30 minutes
As soon as it’s out of the oven pour even more olive oil all over, and into the holes letting the bread soak this up… finally add lots of flaked sea salt. Leave to cool in the tin - it will be easier to remove.