Focaccia

 Greetings!

Wow! Look! A savoury recipe! The first of its kind to appear in this humble blogspace. How exciting. And what a beauty, too. There is nothing more satisfying than whipping up some of your very own flatbread (although I wouldn't exactly call this fluffy bread entirely flat).

 I felt so... artisanal when I made it, just like a moustachioed Italian apprentice baker. Well... maybe not exactly. But it's still a great feeling making your own bread, ok? Especially when you don't even need one of those fancy-schmancy breadmaking gadgets, yet your bread turns out so soft and fluffy! You will, however, need to own a baking stone or have a "pizza maker" which already has one built in!

So go ahead. Make some focaccia, and make yourself a sandwich. You deserve it.

Oh, and by the by, the object seen in the first photo is not some alien probing device, it's actually just an electric beater! Were you confused? Come on, admit it.

Just kidding, I know you people are smart. And (hopefully) avid bakers!

And aargh again I forgot to mention that the Melting Moments recipe was once again from Bill. My mind is like a sieve. I'm sorry (for the pun and for forgetting to mention the true author of the recipe). This recipe is from Rebecca Baugniet.

Focaccia

Makes a loaf suitable for 2-3 serves.

Ingredients:

1 tsp white sugar

7g sachet (1 tsp) active dried yeast

5 tbsp (75ml) warm water

225g plain flour

2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

Method:

Mix the sugar and the yeast in the warm water and allow to dissolve for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl of a standing mixer, combine this yeast mixture with the flour and mix until all the flour is incorporated (you may need to add more water if not all the flour is being collected). Once you have a relatively unsticky, uniform mixture, change to a dough hook attachment and knead for 3 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl and swish around until the ball is fully coated. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a draught-free area for 30 minutes, until the dough has expanded to double its original volume.

Preheat the oven to 240 degrees celsius, and place your baking stone in the oven. Alternatively follow the manufacturer's instructions for your pizza making oven. Place your dough on a floured chopping board and punch it once to expel the trapped air. Knead with your hands briefly, then shape into a flat rectangle (or whatever shape floats your boat), brush it with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Place the dough on a sheet of baking paper and place on top of the baking stone in the oven/ pizza maker. Bake for 10 minutes, until bread is golden and just beginning to go dark brown on top.