The room filled with smell of freshly baked rosemary focaccia bread and it felt like home. It was a sunny winter Tuesday morning and the sun had heated up the room through our huge window. Once we opened the oven, I literally had to take my clothes off!

I bought this rosemary plant for 50p or so, and it looks and smells amazing. The problem is I have to use it now, but most recipes don’t require more than a sprig of it. So here’s a start.
post-image-1016583-2Ingredients:
500g flour
10g sea salt
5g yeast
2 tbsp oil to finish
Oil
Flaky sea salt
4 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves
Olives of your choice

 

Directions:
1)    Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Dissolve yeast it in 350ml warm water and add to the flour mix. Mix to a very rough, soft dough, add the oil and squish in.
2)    Scrape the dough on to a lightly floured work surface and, with lightly floured hands, knead until smooth and silky – about 10 minutes. Keep dusting your hands with flour; it will become less sticky as you knead. Note – it still has to be sticky once you finish kneading, otherwise it won’t rise and will become hard and heavy.
3)    Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with a clean tea towel and leave until it has doubled in size; for about an hour.
4)    On a floured surface, shape the dough into a rough rectangle, lift into a lightly oiled shallow baking dish and press right into the corners. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for about 30 mins.
 5)    Once risen, poke rows of deep dimples over the top. Trickle generously with oil, then sprinkle with salt, rosemary and olives.
6)    Bake in an oven heated to at least 230C (450F) for 15-20 minutes, turning it down after 10 minutes if it browns too fast.
post-image-2Once you take this bad boy out the oven, you can serve it with an oil dip, just as they do in restaurants and charge £3 for it. Just mix 1 part balsamic vinegar/lemon juice and 3 parts oil.
Voila!

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focaccia homemade bread olives recipe rosemary vegan vegetarian