Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups warm water
Topping
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- fresh rosemary
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- olives
- sea salt
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the water to the flour mixture and mix until a dough has formed, and all flour is absorbed.
- Cover the dough and leave it to rise in warm spot for at least an hour.
- Gentle grease the inside of a 9 x 13 baking dish, using butter.
- Transfer the dough to the buttered dish and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Use your fingers to spread the dough out so that it evenly covers the baking dish. Use your fingers to push small holes into the top across the dough
- Sprinkle the surface of the dough with sea salt, rosemary, cherry tomato halves and olives.
- Let the dough rise while you heat the oven to 210 °C
- Bake the dough for 15 minutes at 210 °C. Reduce the heat to 180 °C and bake for a further 20 minutes.
- Let the bread cool in the pan before removing to serve.
A focaccia is a flat leavened Italian bread that has a similar style and texture to pizza. It’s typically served as a side to a main course or as a sandwich bread. Follow this recipe for a very simple and easy to make focaccia recipe that is versatile in use, and tastes amazing every time.
The Dough
Start by whisking together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. To the flour mixture add to cups of warm water and then mix everything together until a dough has formed and all flour becomes absorbed. Unlike bread, you don’t need to knead the bread for a long period of time, the dough is fine once all ingredients are incorporated.
Note: Ensure your water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast, stopping it from rising. The water should be a temperature below 55 °C.
Cover the dough and then set it aside to rise for at least an hour in a warm spot.
Forming the Focaccia
Take a 9 x 13 baking dish and grease the insides of it with butter. The butter will help the dough from sticking as it cooks, so don’t be shy and apply a liberal amount on the sides and base.
Gentle turn the dough out into the buttered dish and then drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Use your fingers to spread the dough out to cover the dish. Following this, use your fingertips to add small divots across the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the dough with sea salt, rosemary, cherry tomato halves and olives.
Tip: You can also add other herbs (such as basil or oregano) and other toppings (such as onion, minced garlic or roasted capsicum). When drizzling the olive oil you can also try a garlic infused oil.
Finishing the Focaccia
Preheat the oven to 210 °C. Leave the dough to rest, uncovered, while the oven is heating up. Bake the focaccia for 15 minutes before reducing the oven to 180 °C and baking for a further 20 minutes.
Remove the focaccia from the oven and leave it to cool in the pan before serving.
