Focaccia is a flat Italian bread typically seasoned with herbs and olive oil
Ingredients Needed
For the dough
7g Dried Yeast
1 tbsp honey
600ml warm water
650g plain flour
1 tbsp sea salt flakes
4 tbsp olive oil
For the garlic and basil rub
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tsp sea salt flakes
Hefty handful of fresh basil leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
The Method
Mix together the dried yeast, honey and warm water together in a large bowl. Whisk, then leave for 15
minutes until a foam forms.
Add the flour and salt to this and stir to combine with a wooden spoon until you have rough but evenly
mixed dough.
Add 3 tablespoons of the oil to a separate large clean bowl, transfer the dough into this. Turn to coat
the dough in the oil and cover, leave in fridge overnight. (Alternatively leave covered at room
temperature for 4 hours to bake same day).
Keeping the dough in a bowl and lightly coat you hands with oil, pull up the edge of the dough and fold
over the top, repeat this on all four sides, tuning the bowl a quarter each time to make this easier. Do
this three times in total.
Grease a 13x9 inch baking tray with olive oil. The tray should be at least an inch in depth
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the prepared baking tray, tip in the dough and spread to the size
of the tray. Leave to rise for at least an hour, unconvered.
Preheat oven to 220C/425F.
While this is rising, make the basil pesto. Bash the garlic cloves in a pestle and mortar with a little
salt, until well bashed, add the basil until a paste forms, slowly drizzle in olive oil until combined.
If the dough is ready after the second rise (You're able to check this by poking it and if it slowly
springs back but stays slightly indented it's ready), Oil your hands one last time and create
indentations all across the dough, spread your fingers and press down into the dough reaching the bottom
of the baking tray.
Spread the garlic basil paste along with a touch of flakey sea salt across the dough
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from baking tray. Once
removed transfer to cooling rack to cool completely
