Focaccia Via Amazing Yeast

I’ve been reminding myself since I have arrived in the UK: there’s such a huge oven here in the apartment, how can I do it such injustice?

So here it is, something that I’ve put off baking for many years now – an Italian breed that tested my patience. After rounds of rising, proofing and baking, it’s ‘proofen’ to be a worthwhile attempt after all. 🙂

Ingredients:

  • Fast-acting dried yeast: 1 sachet ( 7g, about 3 tsp)
  • Warm water: 1 cup (leave boiling water to cool for about 45min – 1 hr)
  • Olive oil: 1 tbsp + extra for drizzling
  • Strong white flour: 3 cups
  • Salt: 2 tsp + 1 tsp
  • Sugar: 1 tbsp
  • Ground black pepper: 1 tsp
  • Chilli powder: 1 tsp
  • Sun-dried tomatoes: 1/2 small bottle (about 100g)
  • Rosemary: leaves from 2 sprigs

Method:

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water and leave to sit for 10min. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to it.
  2. Mix flour, 2 tsp salt, sugar and pepper together in a mixing bowl.
  3. Stir in yeast mixture with wooden spoon. Then use a hand to form it into a ball.
  4. Transfer dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead and punch for 10min.
  5. The dough should become springy and the hand clean of sticky dough.
  6. Place in a greased container, cover with cling film and leave to rise for 1 hr in a warm place.
  7. Remove film and punch dough with knuckle.
  8. Line a baking tray with greased baking sheet. Stretch dough out onto baking sheet in desired shape (rectangular, circular).
  9. Use fingers to form dimples on surface. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt, chilli powder, tomato and rosemary.
  10. Drizzle olive oil on surface. Cover with cling film again. Leave to proof in a warm place for 30min until doubled in size.
  11. Remove film and use fingers to make clear impressions on surface.
  12. Bake in preheated oven for 25min at 180 degrees, until golden brown.
  13. Serve plain while hot or with vinegar and extra virgin olive oil when cooled.

Tricks:

  • To let the dough rise/proof, leave the dough inside an oven at 45 – 50 degrees with door ajar. Alternatively, if there is a (working) heater inside the house, just leave it beside the heater to rise/proof.
  • I used more oil from the bottle of sun-dried tomatoes than olive oil for drizzling, so as to gave it a nice red tinge and Mediterranean fragrance.

Serving:
1 loaf (size of baking tray)

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