Easy garlic and rosemary focaccia
This garlic and rosemary focaccia is delicious eaten on the day it is baked, but the bread will keep for a few days and you can freshen it up in the oven for a few minutes just before serving.
Ingredients
- 12g fresh yeast, or 7g instant yeast
- 350ml/12fl oz lukewarm water
- 500g/1lb 2oz strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp salt
- semolina or dried breadcrumbs, for sprinkling
For the topping
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- needles of 2 rosemary branches, finely chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Place the flour and salt in a bowl, add the yeast mixture and mix to form a soft dough. Lightly flour the work surface and knead well for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover with a tea towel and rest in a warm place for 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface into a rectangular shape roughly the same as a 38x28cm/15x11in baking tray. Sprinkle the tray with semolina or breadcrumbs.
Place the dough in the tray and pour the extra virgin olive oil in the middle. With your fingers, spread the oil all over. Leave for 5 minutes, then poke the dough all over with your fingers to make indentations. Sprinkle the garlic, rosemary, salt and a little black pepper over the top. Cover with a cloth and leave to rest in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 240C/220C Fan/Gas 9.
Bake for about 15 minutes until evenly golden-brown. Check the focaccia occasionally as domestic ovens often colour one side more, so turn the baking tray round accordingly.
Remove and immediately drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil all over. Leave to cool, then cut into squares.
Recipe Tips
To speed up the proving process you can warm the baking tray in the oven for about 10 seconds, before placing the dough on it.
