Rosemary Focaccia.

Prep time - 25minutes Proving time - 12 hours or up to 24 hours in fridge Cooking time - 35 minutes @ 200ºc Enough for - 1 large loaf or 12 rolls.

What you’ll need…

For the dough

1kg Strong bread flour

500ml Tepid water

75ml Olive oil

1g Fresh yeast

20g Flaked sea salt (Maldon)

For finishing your bread

75ml Olive oil mixed with 30 ml water and 5g salt

3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

What to do…

For the dough

Dissolve the yeast in 30ml of the water, in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment mix the water/yeast mix, the remaining water and 600g of the flour on medium high speed for 5-6 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for 2 or 3 minutes before continuing.

Add the salt, oil and the rest of the flour and mix for 15 minutes until the dough is smooth, shiny and the gluten is well developed and springy.

Place your dough in a lightly oiled bowl or plastic container (large enough to allow for the dough to double in size as it expands) cover with cling film and leave to rise for 10 to 12 hours at room temperature or up to 24 hours in a fridge. The small amount of yeast in the dough requires a long prove to multiply sufficiently; the long prove also gives the gluten proteins time to develop, not only helping the texture of the bread, but also making it easier to digest.

If you proved your dough in the fridge, remove it at least an hour before you mean to shape it to give it a chance to come up to room temperature and wake up a little before you use it.

For shaping a loaf

Have your baking tray lined and to hand, knock back dough by pouring it into your tray and pushing the dough as far to the edges as you can, it will expand into any gaps/ corners so don’t worry too much. Loosely cover with oiled cling film and prove for 30mins.

For shaping rolls

Knock back dough on a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 5cm thickness and cut out rolls with a ring cutter (8cm is fine but you can make them as big or small as you want), reshape any left over dough but try not to over work it when reshaping and rolling; leaving it to relax for a minute before re-rolling will help. Repeat until you’ve used all the dough.

Place on a lined baking tray leaving a gap between each roll and cover with a lightly oiled piece of cling film. Prove for 30 minutes.

Pre heat oven to 200c

Before the oven

Lightly oil your index and middle fingers and make deep impressions in the dough. Stud with the rosemary sprigs (pick these down into smaller sprigs and be sure to remove any woody stalks) drizzle with half of the olive oil saltwater mix, finish with a few good pinches of rock salt or flaked sea salt.

To bake

Place in the oven and bake for 35 mins for a loaf and 15-20 mins for rolls (depending on size) removing from the oven after 10 mins to drizzle bread with the remaining oil/water mix.

Once your focaccia is cooked remove it from the oven and tray and cool on a wire rack.

Bellissimo.