Rosemary & Coastline Salt Focaccia

Ingredients:

Dough:

625g Bread Flour or ‘00’ Flour

15g Coastline Salt

7g Dried Yeast

1 Tbsp Caster Sugar

450g Water

45g Extra Virgin Olive Oil

To Top:

2-3 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary

Pinch of Coastline Salt

Loads of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method:

  1. Add the flour, salt, yeast and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and mix to combine

  2. Add the water and the extra virgin olive oil then use a spoon to combine the ingredients and begin to bring the dough together

  3. Once the dough has come together, turn out on to a worktop and begin to knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it starts to strengthen and become stretchy

  4. The dough is quite wet, try to avoid adding more flour.  Use slightly wet hands to help prevent the dough from sticking to your hands too much.  I use a stretch and fold technique where you stretch the dough towards you on the worktop, fold it away from yourself and release the dough by stretching it sideways.  Turn the dough and keep repeating

  5. Clean the mixing bowl and line with a drizzle of olive oil

  6. Place the kneaded dough into the bowl and cover with cling film

  7. Place in the fridge overnight for around 12 hours to prove

  8. Once proven, line a baking tray/roasting tin with some greaseproof paper and another drizzle of olive oil

  9. Use damp hands to turn out the dough in to the lined tray and spread the dough out across the tray

  10. Loosely cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm to prove until the dough has roughly doubled in size (around 1-2 hours depending on temp)

  11. Preheat your oven to 220C

  12. Once proven, remove the tea towel and sprinkle with salt and rosemary leaves

  13. Drizzle over loads of olive oil (don't be shy), dampen your fingers with water and use your fingertips to make dimples all over the dough - you should see some air bubbles form all over the dough

  14. Once the oven has fully preheated place the dough on a middle shelf and bake for 15 minutes

  15. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 180C and bake for another 15 minutes

  16. At this point you can check if the dough needs turning - not all ovens cook evenly!

  17. Remove the bread from the oven and leave in the tray to cool for 30-45 minutes

  18. Turn out onto a wire rack or chopping board and either leave to fully cool for just tuck in!