A focaccia is the ideal side dish for a delicious salad or other hearty dishes with Mediterranean flair, such as a minestrone. You only need a few ingredients but a little time, as the yeast dough needs to rest or rise a little.
But there are no limits to your imagination or taste when it comes to toppings. Whether with olives, cherry tomatoes or simply coarse sea salt and Italian herbs. Just try out what you like best!
The ingredients for your focaccia
300 g Wheat flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ cube fresh yeast or alternatively 1 packet dry yeast
3 EL Olive oil
some sea salt
150 ml lukewarm water
Flour to work with
Olive oil for brushing
2 – 3 tablespoon Italian herbs (fresh or dried)
5 dried tomatoes preserved in olive oil (finely chopped)
How to prepare the focaccia
First, mix the flour with the sugar and salt in a bowl. Crumble the yeast and add it. Also add 150 ml lukewarm water and the olive oil. Now mix everything with the dough hook of the hand mixer or a food processor for at least 5 minutes to a smooth dough. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C top/bottom heat (fan oven: 200°C). Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a 2-3 cm thick patty. Place the pancake on a baking tray covered with baking paper and let it rest for another 15 minutes.
Instead of one large patty, you can also roll out several small patties and process them further.
Now press small depressions into the dough with your fingers or the handle of a wooden spoon and brush the pancake with olive oil. Now it can be topped as desired. In our recipe, we use Italian herbs and pickled dried tomatoes, which we have cut into small pieces beforehand.
Place the tray with the focaccia in the oven (middle shelf) for about 25 minutes.
Enjoy it!
