Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread made using the same recipe as pizza dough. Served as an antipasto, appetiser, table bread, or snack.
You can add your own toppings. This one uses black olives and red chilli
Make the dough
In a jug, mix a teaspoon of yeast into 200ml of lukewarm water and leave for a few minutes to activate.
Finely Slice black olives and a red chilli and place in a bowl with the dried herbs with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stir and allow to marinate.
Put 350gm strong bread flour into a bowl and make a a well in the middle.
pour in a tablespoon of Olive oil into the well.
Pour the yeast water into the well. Using a wooden spoon, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and mix it into the liquid. Keep mixing, turning the bowl and drawing the flour in, and when it all starts to come together, turn it out onto a floured surface and work the rest of the flour in with your hands.
Knead for 10+ mins or until you have a smooth, springy dough. Now put the dough into a bowl and allow to rise for about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Cook the focaccia
Prepare a 36 cm x 26cm metal tray and dust with semolina flour
After the hour the dough will have risen. now take the dough and gently stretch into a rectangle to fit the metal tray.
Now place the dough into the metal tray and using your fingers make deep dimples into the dough.
Take the marinated olives and chillis and spread over the dough pushing them into the surface.
Now place the tray in a warm place for 30 mins to allow to rise again.
Now place the tray into the preheated oven for 25 mins, at the same time, place a tray of hot water at the bottom to allow the oven to steam. This will allow the dough to rise while cooking.
After 20-30 mins or when the bread has become golden brown, remove from the oven and sprinkle the bread with sea salt and then generously drizzle the bread with olive oil
Remove the bread from tray and place on a wire rack to cool.
slice olives and chilli 
add dried rosemary and marinate in olive oil 
add dried yeast to tepid water to activate 
350gm bread flour 
make a well and add tablespoon of olive oil 
add the yeast water and bring together and knead 
knead for 10+ mins until smooth 
rest in a warm place for 1 hour to rise 
cover the metal tray with semolina flour 
stretch the risen dough and place in try and make dimples 
add the olives and chillis 
allow to rise again for 20 mins 
bake in a very hot oven with a tray of water 
generously drizzle with olive oil and sea salt 
allow to cool on a wire rack 
Serve with Cold pressed olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Focaccia
Equipment
- Metal tray
- wire rack
Ingredients
- 350 gm Bread flour
- 200 ml tepid water
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 1 chilli pepper
- 20 black olives
- 4 tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp mixed dried herbs (rosemary, oregano, majoram)
- 1 tbsp semolina flour
Method
- In a jug, mix a teaspoon of yeast into 200ml of lukewarm water and leave for a few minutes to activate.
- Finely Slice black olives and a red chilli and place in a bowl with the dried herbs with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stir and allow to marinate.
- Put 350gm strong bread flour into a bowl and make a a well in the middle. Pour in a tablespoon of Olive oil into the well.
- Pour the yeast water into the well. Using a wooden spoon, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and mix it into the liquid. Keep mixing, turning the bowl and drawing the flour in, and when it all starts to come together, turn it out onto a floured surface and work the rest of the flour in with your hands.
- Knead for 10+ mins or until you have a smooth, springy dough. Now put the dough into a bowl and allow to rise for about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 220C.
- Prepare a 36 cm x 26cm metal tray and dust with semolina flour
- After the hour the dough will have risen. now take the dough and gently stretch into a rectangle to fit the metal tray.
- Now place the dough into the metal tray and using your fingers make deep dimples into the dough.
- Take the marinated olives and chillis and spread over the dough pushing them into the surface.
- Now place the tray in a warm place for 30 mins to allow to rise again.
- Now place the tray into the preheated oven for 25 mins, at the same time, place a tray of hot water at the bottom to allow the oven to steam. This will allow the dough to rise while cooking.
- After 20-30 mins or when the bread has become golden brown, remove from the oven and sprinkle the bread with sea salt and then generously drizzle the bread with olive oil
- Remove the bread from tray and place on a wire rack to cool.
Nutrition
(All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more).