Afelia's Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp of sugar
  • ½ cup of warm water
  • 1.25 tsp fast action yeast
  • 450g strong white bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ cup of olive oil
  • 1.5 cups of warm milk
  • extra flour (if needed)
  • extra olive oil (as needed for brushing and serving)
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 - 3 sprigs of rosemary
  • rock salt
Method
  1. In a small bowl add 1 tsp of sugar and half a cup of warm water. (NOTE. You need to use actual measuring cups for my recipes, not a random cup, these are available from most good houseware stores).
  2. Add 1.25 tsp of fast action dried yeast and stir to dissolve the sugar. Leave to one side for 5 - 10 minutes till frothy.
  3. In a large mixing bowl measure 450g of strong white bread flour, add 1 tsp of salt, ¼ cup of olive oil....
  4. cups of warm milk (I measured this using cups and then warmed directly in a bowl in the microwave).
  5. Check the yeast has become frothy and then add this to the bowl too.
  6. Mix all the ingredients in a stand mixer at a low speed for several minutes using a dough hook, or alternatively use a wooden spoon to mix.
  7. The dough mixture will be quite wet and soft (top left photo), if you find it doesn't come away from the bowl, add 1 - 2 tbsp of extra flour to assist (top right photo).
  8. The dough should still be quite wet but form a roundish ball (bottom left photo), this will help to create a softer focaccia.
  9. Once the dough comes together in the shape of a round ball, pour some olive oil onto your hands and coat the dough ball thoroughly....
  10. ensure the dough is thoroughly coated and leave covered somewhere warm to prove for one hour or until the dough has doubled in size (bottom left and right photos).
  11. I find placing my metal bowl on top of my Sky box (the box is always slightly warm) helps speed up this process.
  12. Prepare a flat wide tray or dish to bake the focaccia on, I am using this terracotta pizza baking stone. Grease the dish or line the dish with greaseproof paper.
  13. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and tip the dough onto the counter, knead for a few minutes by hand to knock out all the air and then place the dough on the prepped baking tray.
  14. Using your hands, stretch the dough evenly until the tray/dish is covered and you have pushed the dough to the edges. Sprinkle with extra flour if you need it to make handling easier.
  15. Using the knuckle on your index finger, make indentations in the dough at evenly spaced intervals.
  16. Take some olive oil and pour over the top of the bread, use a brush to spread out, ensure the entire loaf is covered.
  17. Peel 3 cloves of garlic.
  18. Thinly slice the garlic and scatter over the dough.
  19. Remove the tough stems from the rosemary sprigs, scatter the rosemary leaves over the dough.
  20. Lastly sprinkle the top of the dough with some rock salt, this adds flavour and also looks pretty.
  21. Leave the dough to prove again for 40 - 50 minutes until it has risen again (this is important to make the focaccia fluffy).
  22. Bake in a preheated oven at gas mark 7 (220 degrees Celsius) for 20 - 25 mins or until the focaccia is golden brown.
  23. Remove from the oven and brush with more olive oil, this helps to make the crust softer. Serve the focaccia immediately, hot out of the oven and enjoy!
Recipe by www.afeliaskitchen.com at https://www.afeliaskitchen.com/afelias-garlic-and-rosemary-focaccia/