Picnic weather is finally here - even though we might have to currently settle for a picnic in our garden; or in our living room. Times are tough, but that should not stop us enjoying the little pleasures in life - food being one of them. It will be tough sharing this pillowy, glorious focaccia with anyone!
Picnics are one of my absolute favourite things - there's just something about being outside in the fresh air, sharing some food with friends and family that gives me such a sense of fullness (pun intended). I also love the fact that picnics offer the perfect opportunity to share different food and sample a variety of dishes, all in one sitting. And this focaccia will certainly be a crowd-pleaser. I have slightly adjusted this traditional recipe for those of us who don't have a cupboard large enough to store a million different types of flour - like me!
Yields one rectangular baking tray of focaccia
Ingredients:
- 500g of plain flour
- 300 ml of water at room temperature
- 150g of potatoes
- a pinch of salt
- 2 and a half tbsp of olive oil
- 2 tsp of dried active yeast
- a generous handful of cherry tomatoes (plum or golden tomatoes or even a mix will work just as well)
- some oregano (to garnish)
- some rock salt (to garnish)
- some extra olive oil (to garnish)
DISCLAIMER: From my understanding (I am from a different part of Italy) traditional Focaccia Barese is also topped with some black olives. In this version I made it with cherry tomatoes only as I did not have olives, but you can add some yourself at the same time as you are adding the tomatoes.
Method:
First we need to prepare the pre-dough and allow it to ferment. Take 95g out of the total flour and place in a bowl. Add the yeast and 100ml of water taken from the total. Combine all of the ingredients well. Cover with clingfilm and move to a warm environment to ferment. I left mine to rise for about 2.5 hrs. You are looking for it to double in volume.
Whilst the pre-dough is fermenting, you can prepare the potatoes. Wash the potatoes and place them in a large saucepan with water. Bring to boil and leave to cook for about 30-35 min or until soft (timer starts from when the water starts to boil). Once cooked drain the potatoes and peel. Place in a bowl and using a potato masher, mash them until smooth. Leave to cool completely.
Once the pre-dough is ready to be used, add the remaining flour, the remaining water and the potatoes (fully cooled!). using your hands, mix well to combine the ingredients. Once all ingredients are fully combined, add the olive oil one spoon at a time and incorporate it into the dough. The dough will remain a little wet and sticky - not to worry, it will tighten up in the next rising phase.
Sprinkle a little flour on a worktop and on your hands. Using you hands, lightly flatten the dough and then fold the sides in, two at a time. Think of an envelope. Turn the dough over, shape into a ball and place in a clean bowl covered with clingfilm to rise. TIP: I normally sprinkle a little extra flour on top and on the sides of the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the bowl. Leave to rise for approximately 2-3 hrs. Again, you want to see a significant increase in volume.
Once the dough is risen, line a rectangular oven tray with baking paper and drizzle a little oil (don't be shy with the oil when making focaccia as it is supposed to be a little on the greasy side). Remove the dough from the bowl and place in the middle of the tray. Using your hands stretch the dough out to rectangular shape. Place the tomatoes on the dough (whole!) and give them a little push to really dimple them in the base. Drizzle some olive oil on top, sprinkle some rock salt and oregano and leave in the tray to rise for another 1.5 hrs.
In the meantime, turn on the oven to 200C (set to static, not ventilated). Once the focaccia dough has risen and the oven is hot, place the tray and bake in the oven for about 10-15 mins (every oven is a little different). Keep an eye on it as with a high oil content, the focaccia is likely to catch quickly - I was slightly distracted with mine and whilst it wasn't burnt, it was definitely darker on top than I would have liked it. You are looking for a nice golden colour.
Allow to cool slightly before serving - focaccia is perfect as an on-the-go snack, a picnic item or for a sit down meal, instead of bread!
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