Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia

Every now and then at Pebble Soup HQ, one of us bakes a new bread recipe. None of the conventional loafs something a little different. Previously he cooked an Injera, so I answered with another flat bread, an Italian one this time: Focaccia.

Focaccia is very similar to pizza dough. Its aspect is created via a technique called dotting, bakers use two fingers to create holes in the dough.  It contains olive oil, is topped with salt and herbs usually rosemary. I picked focaccia for three reasons:

1. In a attempt to create a kitchen garden, I planted some herbs, Rosemary is one of them
2. Concomitantly, we had a family commemoration during which I couldn't help thinking about  rosemary, the emblem of remembrance, a symbol of love and fidelity. Anne of Cleves is said to have worn some in a wreath when she married  Henry VIII.
3. Jeanne at Cooksister! wrote this wonderful post about remembrance and rosemary.

Focaccia is rather easy to bake, though mine was a disaster as I left it too long in the oven and forgot to add oil to the dough. If it is really true that rosemary helps remembering, I think that the plant in the garden is indeed far too small, it will definitely be put to got use.

Rosemary and Sea Salt Foccicia

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tsp salt
• 10 black olives
• 4 garlic gloves finely chopped
• 1 x 7g/⅛oz sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 80ml/3fl oz olive oil plus extra for drizzling
• 150-250ml/5-9fl oz warm water
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary
• large pinch sea salt

Method

1 Mix together the flour, salt, yeast, garlic, then add the olive oil, plus enough warm water to make a soft but not sticky dough. The dough should feel quite loose and not tight and difficult to knead

2 Work the dough for 10-15 minutes and leave  in a bowl covered in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes

3 Thin the daough and kned lightly again, Roll out to an oval shape

4 Place on greased baking sheet cover and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.

5 Preheat the oven to 200C. Make indentations with your fingertips all over the top. Drizzle oil on the top, sprinkle with rock salt and rosemary.

6 Bake for 25 minutes until golden.