Easy Focaccia Garden
By OcadoLife
Published on 22 January 2022
Matthew Jones of Bread Ahead
bakery and baking school has created this Easy Focaccia Garden – a beautiful
and delicious bread made with a clever folding method that helps to avoid the
usually hefty kneading process. You could have fun trying out different designs
with the tomato, onion, herb and olive toppings to create a pretty garden
effect. Time and servings
1 hrTotal time
6Servings
1 hrCooking time
Ingredients
- 500 g of strong white bread flour
- 10 g of fine sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1.5 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves, plus extra for the topping
- 3 g of dried active yeast
- 80 ml of olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- 100 g of pitted olives
- 1 red onion, sliced into rings, or to taste
- 1 piccerella peppers, sliced, or to taste
- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved, or to taste
- 1 handful of chives, or to taste
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, or to taste
Method
Step 1
Combine the flour, salt, thyme and dried yeast in a mixing bowl.Step 2
Make a well in the flour mixture, pour in 400ml lukewarm water. Bring together to form a loose, wet dough using your hands, a dough scraper or stand mixer with dough hook. Mix for a few mins until evenly combined and glossy.Step 3
Drizzle 2tbsp of the oil around the edge of the bowl, then tease it under the dough to help with sticking. Now wet your hands and put them under one side of the dough, pull it up and stretch it over to the other side. Do this from the two sides and the top and bottom – these four actions are a single fold. Leave to rest for 30 mins at room temperature.Step 4
Do these folds 2 more times, resting for 30 mins after each, then scatter over the olives (reserve a few to decorate). Do 1 more fold, then rest in the fridge for 10 mins.Step 5
Lightly grease a baking tray, about 20 x 30cm, with some oil. Slide the dough onto the tray, fold in half and lightly massage the rest of the oil evenly into the surface. Press wet fingertips into the top of the dough to gently coax it out to fill the tray and create dimples, trying not to deflate the dough or stretch it too much.Step 6
Now add the toppings, such as onions, peppers and cherry tomatoes for flowers, chives and parsley for stems and foliage, and cherry tomatoes for a sun. You could also use some olives and thyme leaves – to look like cute insects! Leave to rest for 30 mins at room temperature (or keep in the fridge for up to 4 hrs). Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 9.Step 7
Sprinkle the focaccia with salt and put in the oven; place a second baking tray with about 4tbsp water in the bottom of the oven. Bake for 15 mins, or until crispy. Remove from the oven, brush with a little more oil; cool and serve.