Smoky Focaccia

Thanks to new customer Havenhills Field and Kitchen for this delicious Focaccia recipe from their chef, Steve the Hungry Guy. It’s great for sharing and serving with soup, pasta or dips.

Prep time: 2 days

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 1 large tray could serve 20 people

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Ingredients

Poolish:

200g strong white bread flour

200g water

7g dried yeast

Dough:

225g bread flour

7g maple syrup or honey

265g warm water

15g Droitwich Salt Beech Smoked salt

45g extra virgin olive oil

Topping:

30g extra virgin olive oil

15g water

10g Droitwich Salt Beech Smoked salt

Method:

Day 1: am: Poolish

1. Mix the flour, yeast and water together (two batches in one mixing bowl). Cover and leave for 8 hours

Day 1: pm: Dough

2. Mix the dough ingredients with the poolish and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth

3. Place in bowl, cover and leave in fridge overnight to prove

Day 2: am: Bake

1. Line tray with baking parchment (use oil to stick down) and spread over 25g olive oil.

2. With wet hands, move the dough onto tray, balling it in your hands slightly (if possible) to give it a smooth surface. Lifting from underneath, spread the dough out to fill the tray

3. Cover the tray with cling film and leave for 1.5-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

4. Preheat oven to 220C. For the topping, mix the oil and water until you form a thick emulsion. Dip your fingers into this mix and dimple dough and redistribute air bubbles. Add any toppings at this point such as rosemary, olives or onion, and push down gently, then cover with the oil/water mix. Leave for 20-30 minutes for the mix to settle.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and cooked through.

6. Remove from the oven and cool in the tins on a wire rack