How to Make the Perfect Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
500g strong flour
9g yeast
10g salt
330ml water
3-4tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
Good sprinkle of sea salt flakes
Here’s how
Place 100g of your recipe flour, half of the yeast and half of the water and mix together to form a batter.
Cover and leave over night to ferment and double in size.
Add the remaining flour, yeast, salt and water along with a splash of the olive oil.
Using your hand mix the ingredients together to form a wet dough, then transfer onto a clean work surface.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes and use only 1 tablespoon of flour to help you if needed to form a smooth stretchy dough.
Return the dough to the pan with an additional splash of olive oil and cover.
Leave the dough for 2 hours to prove and double in size.
Once light and puffy, with lots of air inside the dough scoop out onto the work surface.
Stretch the dough out and over itself to create air pockets and shape the dough into a round.
Place the dough back into the pan and top with the remaining olive oil, fresh rosemary and sea salt.
Bake in a pre heated oven 200c for 20-25 minutes or until golden .
Top tip, when you put the bread into the oven add 100ml of water to the bottom of the oven to create steam, this will help develop the crust on the bread and make for a better bake.
