The tastes of olives and artichokes are the heroes of this homemade Focaccia bread that can be served as a hearty appetiser or a satisfying breakfast treat. If you don’t have artichokes, sundried tomatoes, rosemary, red onion, cucumber and even spinach greens would do perfect! Your imagination and tastebuds are the limit here. This recipe creates a soft, chewy Focaccia and is complemented by a generous topping of herbs and garlic.
Easy Homemade Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
For the dough
350 g bread flour
1 tbsp sugar
1.50 tsp instant yeast
200 ml tepid water
2 tbsp olive oil
For the toppings
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp finely chopped parsley
190 g prepared artichokes in a can, or your preferred topping, just chopped up
100 g green olives, pitter
2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked off
Instructions
1
Mix together the water and olive oil in a small jug. Add the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt to the bowl of your kitchen machine fitted with the dough hook. Start the machine on minimum speed and slowly pour in the liquid. Let the machine run on minimum for 1 minute, or until the dough has combined, then increase the speed to 1, and knead for 5 minutes, until you have a smooth elastic ball of dough.
2
Remove the bowl from the machine, dust the ball of dough with a little extra flour, and cover the bowl with a damp tea towel. Leave the dough in a warm place for around an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
3
Fit the bowl onto the machine, and using the dough hook, knock the dough back for around 1 minute, on minimum speed.
4
On a floured surface, divide the dough into 6, and roll each piece into a 12cm circle, and place carefully onto a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise again in a warm place for 20-30 minutes until risen.
5
In a pestle and mortar, pound together the garlic, salt, parsley and rosemary, and when you have a rough paste, gradually add in the olive oil. Put to one side.
6
Peel back the film and, using your fingers, press into the surface of the dough, to create deep dimples all over. Replace the film, and leave for a further 10-15 minutes.
7
Preheat the oven to 200C. Uncover the dough, and gently press artichokes and olives into the surface of each circle. Spoon over the garlic and herb oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden.
- Tags: #baking, #bread, #christmas, #healthy, #snacks, #vegetarian
