Herb and Garlic Focaccia
What you’ll need:
5 cups flour of your choice (all purpose, whole wheat or a mix of both)
4 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 3/4 warm water
1 tbs active dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (for activating the yeast)
4 garlic cloves
1 cup mixed herbs (parsley, dill and coriander)
Method:
1. Dissolve some sugar in half the amount of water, and sprinkle the yeast and let it bloom for 10 minutes. If your yeast doesn’t bloom, it is either because your water is too hot or too cold, or otherwise the yeast isn’t a good quality.
2. In a food processor, add the mixed herbs, garlic, water and a drizzle of olive oil and pulse for 2 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, honey and olive oil and mix using a spatula or a wooden spoon. Then, add the wet ingredients and continue to mix.
4. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Note the dough is meant to be sticky, so don’t over flour the surface and keep half a cup of warm water in case the dough is too tough and it needs some wetting.
5. Once well kneaded and smooth, put the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling film and a towel, and let it rest for at least 2 hours in a dark, warm place (such as your oven, obviously while it’s off hahaha).
6. 2 hours later, your dough is now doubled in size and ready to be rolled. Lightly knead the dough one more time for 1 minute and cut it in half to make 2 focaccias as in the picture above.
7. While you keep one half covered, roll the dough keeping a thickness of about 1 cm. Garnish the top with some herbs, and I highly recommend the combination of cherry tomatoes and fetta cheese. Then lightly brush it with some olive oil and sprinkle some oregano, and bake at 180-200c for about 20 minutes. In the last 5 minutes, you may turn on the top heat to get that extra golden brown crunchy top.
Team it up with some soup, and voila! you have your delicious meal sorted.
