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I baked bread!! Absolutely not that bit that I haven’t endeavoured prior. But this time I am truly thrilled to put in the picture the legend of this bread I made. A golden top brushed with fruity olive oil, dappled with rosemary, and sweet mushy sun blushed tomatoes, this bread stands white and fluffy, and delightfully chewy.
I have been reading from beginning to end fairly a few books for baking breads, but sometimes the elaborate explanations make a little jumpy and I decided to run into something less intricate. Nothing beats the simplicity of by. My sister gifted me this book back in India, 'THE BIG BOOK OF BAKING, and the focaccia recipe from this book is something I am pleased I have stuck on.
I must tell you, when I was baking this bread with rosemary, olive oil and the tomatoes, my house smelled as if an Italian grandma was crackling up an exotic meal with her darling bottle of fruity olive oil. I wouldn’t mind relishing this bread with my freshly homemade pesto the rest of my life every day.
INGREDIENTS
500Gms strong white flour, plus extra for dusting,
1 ½ tsp salt,
1 ½ tsp easy-blend dried yeast,
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra sprigs to garnish,
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing,
300 ml lukewarm water,
1 tsp coarse sea salt
Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl and stir in the yeast and rosemary. Make a well in the centre, pour in 4 tablespoons of the oil and mix quickly with a wooden spoon. Gradually stir in the lukewarm water but do not overmix. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes. The dough will be quite wet; DO NOT ADD MORE FLOUR.
Brush a bowl with oil. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for hours, until the dough had doubled in volume.
Brush a baking tray with oil. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knock back with you fist, then knead for 1 minute. Put the dough on the prepared baking tray and press out into an even layer. Cover the baking tray with a damp tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 245C/475F/Gas Mark 9. Cut the tomato halves in half. Whish the remaining oil with a little water in bowl. Dip your fingers into the oil mixture and press them into the dough to make dimples all over the loaf. Sprinkle with the sea salt. Press the tomato quarters into some of the dimples, drizzle with the reamining oil mixture and sprinkle the loaf with the rosemary sprigs.
Reduce the oven temperature to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7 and ake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, then serve while still warm.
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