Recipe: Sun Blushed Tomato, Olive, Basil and Balsamic Focaccia Bread
Author: Jon Riley
Recipe type: Bread
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
450g plain flour
1 tsp table salt
1 tbs Caster Sugar (reduce to a tsp if you wish)
2 x 7g Sachets of Dried Yeast
300-350mls lukewarm Water
12 Green Sicilian Olives pitted and halved
6 Black Kalamata Olives pitted and halved
1 Bunch of Basil
Balsamic reduction to drizzle
Extra virgin olive oil
Good Quality Sea Salt Flakes
Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
Mix all your dry ingredients together in a bowl
Warm your water so it is at body temperature and no hotter or you will kill the yeast
Make a well in the centre of your mix and add ¾ of the water
Mix and bring the dough together adding more water till you get a well formed, but not wet dough. If you add a little too much water, add a little more flour until you get a dough you can work with your hands that’s not sticky
At this stage you need to activate the gluten in the flour. Otherwise known as a bit of elbow grease Kneed and stretch out your dough, working it for about 10 minutes
Into a clean bowl drizzle and wipe some olive oil around the bowl
Place the dough into the bowl and rub the dough with a little more oil. This just prevents a crust forming on the dough
Prove the bread for 45 minutes (see tip)
Whilst the bread is proving prep your olives and pick your basil
Your bread should have doubled in size by now. You should be able to make depressions in the dough with your fingertips…a strangely satisfying part of bread making
Knock back your dough with a quick kneed and place in a lightly floured camp oven
Push the dough to the edges and press your fingers deep into the dough to make deep depressions
Start pushing all your ingredients into the holes (as much or as little as you wish, packed full is always my preference)
Sprinkle with sea salt, cracked pepper and a generous splash of olive oil
Half a shovel of coals as a base in the edge of the fire and half a shovel on top. As always have extra heat on the other side of the fire pit near one edge of the oven. Rotate your oven every 5 minutes with a ¼ turn for an even cook - should take around 25 minutes
Once cooked drizzle with a little more olive oil, drizzle balsamic glaze (can get this pre-made at Coles or Woolies) and a final sprinkle of sea salt to taste
*As always with a fire the cooking times and heat is only a guideline so check your bread half way through and apply more coals if needed.
**Your Bread is cooked when you turn it out, tap the bottom and get a hollow sound.
***You can also adapt this to a sweet dessert bread by increasing the sugar, reducing the salt a little (not totally) and press milk chocolate into the holes instead.
****TIP- I use a black bin bag to prove the bread. Put it in the sun with a little splash of water in the bag to create some condensation. Works very well to prove any yeast based breads or pastries.
Recipe by Places We Go at https://placeswego.com/recipe-sun-blushed-tomato-olive-basil-and-balsamic-focaccia-bread/