Focaccia

By

Simple Pleasures...

The perfect snack, any time, any day, any how…

 

Pleasure could come in many forms and ways, however the purest forms of pleasures are those which are very simple. Dipping bread in oil for instance, and chewing on this oozing, spongy, fragrant bite… is there anything that can be better? pairing this puffed sponge with a variety of dips, a slice of ham, turkey, roast beef, smoked salmon… maybe a bite of sundried tomatoes, or an olive, perhaps some cheese… sipping on wine… having a chat… spreading some pesto, or my beautiful labneh… The lifestyle of the Focaccia!

 

The Focaccia,

Before I dive into the recipe, let me tell you more about Focaccia Bread. Focaccia is the Italian relative of the French Fougasse bread, which originates from Genoa. It is essentially a flat bread made with olive oil and traditionally cooked in the Italian Pizza oven (made out of brick and earth). The Focaccia is cooked in this oven right after the fire had been raked out – when it is still too hot to bake other breads without burning the crust. Of course over the many years focaccia as all else has evolved and been adapted in a variety of ways.

In the South of Italy, Focaccia is eaten as a snack or antipasti, while in the North of Italy, it is more like Pizza. Tuscany’s focaccia ‘Schiacciata’ is the herbed version of this flat bread. There are many regional variations to the preparation of Focaccia, to include, salted, unsalted, herbed and focaccia with pizza toppings. Regardless of the origin and the preparation, Focaccia is a delightfully delicious bread that is great on its own or as a side to soups and salads.

Here is how you can make this wonderful Focaccia…. and perhaps take my advise and adopt the Focaccia lifestyle!

I totally recommend you try making this and serving it with DS Green Olives & Artichoke Confit, DS Kalamata & Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade & DS Pickled Mixed Vegetables…

These three dips and this bread are a perfect spread for any afternoon/sundowner!

Ingredients

Serves: 8
  • 500g bread flour
  • 15g fresh yeast or 1 sachet dry instant yeast
  • 250 ml lukewarm water
  • 2 tbsp DS Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 tsp DS Pink Himalayan Salt

For the olive oil mixture

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup DS Premium Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 tsp DS Pink Himalayan Salt

Optional Flavours

  • DS Organic Green Olives in Brine, pitted and halved
  • DS Organic Kalamata Olives, Pitted and halved
  • DS Organic Pickled Zaatar
  • DS Organic Dry Zaatar Mix
  • DS Nabulsi Cheese

Preheat your oven to 450F-220C.

Place all the bread ingredients (the first section of the ingredients list) in the bowl of your stand mixer (or you can mix by hand). Mix all with a dough hook on medium speed for 1 minute, then increase the speed and knead for 3 minutes or until all is mixed together ana dough is formed.

Form into a ball and brush the tops with some olive oil then leave to rest for 5 minutes, covered with a damp cloth.

In the meantime, rub some oil all over your baking tray.

Once rested, transfer the dough to the oil baking tray and spread slightly. Brush again with olive oil and leave it on the tray for 10 minutes to rest.

After 10 minutes, using your rolling pin,  roll the dough out with a light touch, starting at the centre. Roll only one time on each direction. Do not press hard or roll back and forth as we do not want to burst the bubbles formed in the dough.

Once rolled out, leave the dough to rest for 20 minutes. In this time, the dough should double in size.

Once rested, press your fingers into the surface of dough, to form the iconic dimples of focaccia.

In a bowl, whisk together all the olive oil mixture ingredients until emulsified. Then pour the mixture evenly over the focaccia, then leave it to rest for 20 more minutes.

TIP

Instead of plain oil in the olive oil mixture, try using my Organic Pickled Zaatar with the water and pouring that over the Focaccia. It will turn out amazing. This is especially good if you are planning to serve this focaccia with cheese or to make sandwiches out of it.

At this point you can add the herbs and press the olives into the holes. You can even sprinkle the top with my beautiful sumac… or add sundried tomatoes, chopped or crumbled cheese…etc.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, making sure to brown the tops slightly. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before transferring from the tray.

Serve with olive oil and a variety of my amazing dips, pickles and herbs…

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