The aroma of freshly made bread can bring a smile to almost anyone, I’m sure. Fresh focaccia is one of the easiest breads to master and incredibly versatile too. There are endless options for tempting toppings from simple rosemary and salt to sun-dried tomatoes and peppers or olive, chilli and garlic. There is nothing that I enjoy more than making a focaccia, once cooled, splitting it and layering the base with pesto, parma ham, rocket, salami,roasted peppers, mozzarella and more pesto with sliced fresh tomatoes. Not forgetting to sneak in lots of fresh basil herbs for good measure.
The dough can be altered too by adding freshly made pesto to the base mixture or by using chilli flakes and dried herbs. Once you are confident with the basic recipe then there’s your chance to play and experiment. This is the Italian panino at it’s best, nothing beats it at all especially if it is accompanied by an ice cold peroni.
Dough
500g 00 flour
2 tsp salt
14g fast action yeast
3 tbsp olive oil
400ml tepid water
Topping
1 tsp rock salt
1 large sprig rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil for drizzling
Greased swiss roll tin
Into a bowl tumble in the flour and add the yeast to one side and the salt to the opposite side.
Spoon in the olive oil and gradually add in the water (you may not need all of the water). Use a wooden spoon or your hands to form a dough, turn out the dough onto a clean surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until elastic and smooth.
Allow to prove for 1 hour in a draught free area within the kitchen.
Preheat the oven to 200 C
Take a baking tray and lightly grease it with a little olive oil. Turn the dough out and using your fingers gently push it into position, covering the tray.
Cover and allow to prove for a further 30 minutes.
Push finger dents into the dough and sprinkle over the rock salt, press sprigs of rosemary sprigs into the dough and drizzle over the olive oil.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden.
Buon appetito
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