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There is nothing better than a slice of warm homemade bread, but I know I am often put off by how long the process can take and worrying about the proving process. But inspired by TikTok creators, I stumbled upon the BBC Good Food’s easy focaccia recipe, which was so nice I made it three times in one week.
This is perhaps not a traditional focaccia, as Paul Hollywood defines a good Italian focaccia as thin and crispy, but this English version is excellent for dipping, eating with butter and it is makes an epic bacon sandwich. And it takes just 20 minutes to bake and is simple to do with consistent results. My family loves this bread and none was wasted, the only change I made was using dried rosemary instead of fresh and it was still beautiful.
Method:
Add the flour to a mixing bowl, then add the yeast and the salt to opposite sides of the flour, mixing in the yeast to one side and then the salt before mixing together – this stops the salt from killing off the yeast.
Now make a well in the flour and add two tbsp of oil and gradually adding the 350-400ml of lukewarm water until you have a slightly sticky dough.
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping around the sides to get all of the dough. Knead for five to ten minutes until it is soft and less sticky.
Move the dough to a clean bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for one hour.
Oil a rectangular tray (approximately 25 x 35cm) then you can tip the dough into the tin and gently stretch it to fit. Cover with a tea towel and leave for another 35-45 minutes.
Preheat your oven before the proving time is over to 220°C/200°C/Gas 7 then drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle the rosemary and some salt before dimpling with your fingers.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden and when it is still hot drizzle over some more oil and you can serve hot or cold.
