I'm a guy who likes bread. I like to think that this is something I have in common with the vast majority of the human race.
One day, several moons ago, I pondered how to bake something a little more flavoursome than a standard white loaf. I found myself thinking: 'Can I, with no prior experience, make a half-decent focaccia?!'.
A couple of hours and a bit of experimentation later, I proudly answered my own question thus: 'YES - OR SOME SEMBLANCE THEREOF!'.
I've recreated said experiment a number of times since and found it to turn out pretty consistently. This time I decided to document the process.
So, I make no claims about this being any kind of authentic Italian recipe, it’s just something I cobbled together out of curiosity that kind of worked. Anyway, none of my friends have punched me while tasting it, so I must be on the right track.
I tend to avoid proper measurements wherever possible (keeps things more interesting, you know?), so follow your instincts or just do whatever the hell you like.
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You will need:
600g strong white bread flour
1 sachet dried yeast
Tepid mixture of water, olive oil and clear honey (about 250ml water topped up to 300ml with the oil and honey)
1 fuckton of pitted black olives, halved lengthways
3 or 4 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped and roasted until slightly soft
Hell of fresh rosemary
Coarse salt
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First of all, put the water/oil/honey on a gentle heat until it’s just starting to get warm, give it a quick stir, then set it aside in a jug with a small plate or something on top so it hasn’t cooled completely by the time you come to use it.
Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add two or three large chunks of butter/olive spread/whatever you're using. Work the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the dried yeast, a pinch or two of salt, all of the garlic and most, but not all, of the olives and rosemary – you’ll need some of each to put on the outside of the bread later. Mix it all up.
One day, several moons ago, I pondered how to bake something a little more flavoursome than a standard white loaf. I found myself thinking: 'Can I, with no prior experience, make a half-decent focaccia?!'.
A couple of hours and a bit of experimentation later, I proudly answered my own question thus: 'YES - OR SOME SEMBLANCE THEREOF!'.
I've recreated said experiment a number of times since and found it to turn out pretty consistently. This time I decided to document the process.
So, I make no claims about this being any kind of authentic Italian recipe, it’s just something I cobbled together out of curiosity that kind of worked. Anyway, none of my friends have punched me while tasting it, so I must be on the right track.
I tend to avoid proper measurements wherever possible (keeps things more interesting, you know?), so follow your instincts or just do whatever the hell you like.
--
You will need:
600g strong white bread flour
1 sachet dried yeast
Tepid mixture of water, olive oil and clear honey (about 250ml water topped up to 300ml with the oil and honey)
1 fuckton of pitted black olives, halved lengthways
3 or 4 large cloves of garlic, roughly chopped and roasted until slightly soft
Hell of fresh rosemary
Coarse salt
--
First of all, put the water/oil/honey on a gentle heat until it’s just starting to get warm, give it a quick stir, then set it aside in a jug with a small plate or something on top so it hasn’t cooled completely by the time you come to use it.
Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add two or three large chunks of butter/olive spread/whatever you're using. Work the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the dried yeast, a pinch or two of salt, all of the garlic and most, but not all, of the olives and rosemary – you’ll need some of each to put on the outside of the bread later. Mix it all up.
Give the tepid liquid another stir and slowly begin to pour it into the bowl, starting with about half. Mix it up with the flour et al, pour a little more, mix it again…
Keep going in this way until you have something that looks like dough (you may not need to use all of the water/oil/honey mix) - it should be sliiiightly sticky to the touch, but not wet. Fear not; you can always add some more flour if you’ve gotten a bit overzealous with the liquid.
Now, anyone who's ever made bread knows that the most fun part of doing so (aside from the eating, of course) is the kneading. Here is a fantastic opportunity to take out all your worldly frustrations on a hapless lump of edible putty - it can be a great release, like playing the drums, or picking on someone weaker than you.
After roughly 10 minutes' anger management, you should end up with dough that is springy and will stretch reasonably far without falling apart.
Line a baking sheet with some foil and grease it up something chronic. Then put it upside down on top of the bowl and flip it over, like so:
Using your spotlessly clean and sterilised fingers, make little indentations evenly over the flat dough, then put the remaining olive halves inside them. Scatter the leftover rosemary and a pinch or two of coarse salt over the top, then drizzle* the whole thing with a little olive oil.
*I use the word ‘drizzle’ as a verb only with the utmost reluctance and because my brain is offering no viable alternatives.
Whaddya know?! It's ready to go into to your preheated oven - 180°c/350°f/gas mark 4 - for about half an hour, or until it's evenly golden across the crust.
Leave it to cool for at least an hour, otherwise it's likely to be somewhat gooey inside when you cut into it. But, you know, maybe that's your thing...
...and there you have it!
(Thanks to Britner for help with some of the photos and for providing “locally sourced” rosemary)
A most enjoyable read, I will be sure to try this out very soon indeed. Might I suggest the verb "Slaver" in replacement of drizzle?
ReplyDeleteI would go with 'massage'.
ReplyDelete