Cheesy Olive, Rosemary and Balsamic Focaccia
Servings Makes 1 loaf
Prep time
40 minsCook time
20 minsInactive time
5 H & 30 MTotal time
6 H & 30 MMy Italian Flavour Shot adds that extra 5% magic to this loaf!
Ingredients
Filling
Bread
Method
- For the filling, finely chop one-third of the rosemary leaves, keep one-third whole, and roughly chop remaining third and set aside for topping.
- In a frying pan over medium, heat oil then add finely chopped rosemary and onion. Gently cook, stirring regularly, until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and balsamic and cook until mixture caramelises. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
- For the bread, in a small bowl add yeast, warm water and sugar. Stir until dissolved then set aside in a warm place until bubbling (about 10 minutes).
- In a large bowl add yeast mixture, flour, Italian seasoning (if using), salt and oil. Mix well to bring ingredients together and form a dough. Tip dough out onto a lightly floured bench and knead until smooth and silky (about 10 minutes).
- Add half the rosemary and onion mixture to dough and knead for another 10 minutes.
- Wash and oil the bowl. Return dough to bowl then turn it over so the oiled side is facing up. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean, damp tea towel and set aside in a warm place to prove until doubled in size (1–3 hours).
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured bench and knead into a ball. Transfer dough to a large, well-oiled baking tray. Cover and set aside to rest for 15 minutes.
- Once rested, using the palm of your hand, flatten dough out into a 20cm round.
- Mix whole rosemary leaves with remaining rosemary and onion mixture. Spread over dough and season well with pepper. Cover and set aside to prove for another 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Stud olives onto dough then sprinkle over parmesan and sea salt. Bake in oven for 15–18 minutes until focaccia is golden.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining whole rosemary sprigs. Serve focaccia warm or cold, with extra-virgin olive oil on the side.
Simon says ...
For step 4, you can use a standard cake mixer with the dough hook to bring ingredients together.
In step 6, the time for the dough to prove and double in size (1–3 hours) will depend on the temperature of the environment, gluten development and moisture in the dough.
