Rosemary Focaccia 2 Ways

If you haven’t made bread before, this is a very easy and fun recipe to get you started.

This is a very easy recipe which you can make without a bread maker and get the kids to help you too. It’s also versatile in the sense that you can make it as one large focaccia, four medium-sized (as I’ve done here), or 8 to 10 individual ones – which would be perfect for a classroom setting, to pop into lunchboxes or accompany soups, for example.

In today’s recipe I made half of the dough as a fairly plain variety, using only chopped fresh ROSEMARY and sea salt, and a more elaborated version for the other half, using thin strips of salami, little cubes of cream cheese and again, fresh ROSEMARY.

I’ve chosen to showcase ROSEMARY on both versions, as it’s such a great herb to flavour bread - especially the all-Italian FOCACCIA – and because I’ve got a humongous ROSEMARY bush which I need to constantly find ways to utilize.

Just a fraction of my humongous Rosemary bush :)

Saying that, you can definitely go for other herbs instead, as well as spices and ingredients of your choice - cheeses, sliced meats, vegetables (capsicums, tomatoes, courgettes, etc) and olives are only a few examples of suitable toppings.

My advice here is to have a look in your cupboard and fridge and see what’s available, and more importantly, what needs to be used up, and get creative! (I’d love to see pictures of what combinations you came up with 😊).

This FOCACCIA is best eaten on the same day, but just in case you have some leftover, it can be toasted, or made into lovely croutons to scatter over soups or salads. For croutons’ recipe check here.

LOCKDOWN TIP: Today’s recipe requires yeast and I know lots of people have been struggling to find some at the moment – including me. Just a tip, I had been waiting for some to arrive at my local supermarket for weeks now, without luck, until my neighbour told me the dairy around the corner from us had some in stock – just in case you’re also on the lookout – hopefully your dairy has some too. :)

ROSEMARY FOCACCIA 2 WAYS

2 ½ cups plain flour + extra for kneading
1 x sachet instant yeast (equivalent of 2 tsp)
½ tsp fine sea salt
¾ cup warm water
1 ½ Tbsp olive oil

SEA SALT & ROSEMARY TOPPING:

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
A few grinds of sea salt
1 Tbsp olive oil

SALAMI, ROSEMARY & CREAM CHEESE TOPPING:

2 Tbsp salami, sliced into thin strips
2 Tbsp cream cheese
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. In a large bowl, add flour, yeast and salt. Mix to combine.

2. Add warm water and olive oil to the flour mixture. Using your hands, bring mixture together until it comes out from the sides of the bowl to form a dough. If it’s too dry add a few more drops of water at a time.

3. Sprinkle some flour on a clean work surface and place dough on it. Knead dough for about 10-12 minutes, until smooth.

4. Return dough to the mixing bowl (give it a quick wipe first) and cover with a clean tea towel or alternative. Place it in a warm place, such as the hot water cupboard, for 1 ½ hours or until dough has doubled in size.

4. When time is almost up, prepare your toppings and oil a large, flat oven tray. Reserve.

5. Now, return dough to the floured surface and knead for another 5 minutes. Divide dough into four parts and place one at a time on the oiled oven tray. Using the tip of your fingers shape each into an oblong or round shape (about 12 cm long or in diameter).

6. If making the PLAIN ROSEMARY FOCCACIA, divide the rosemary among the four breads, sprinkle a little sea salt and drizzle the olive oil.

7. If making the SALAMI, ROSEMARY & CREAM CHEESE version, divide salami and rosemary among the four breads. Make several tiny dimples with the tip of your fingers on each bread and add a little bit of cream cheese to each. Drizzle the olive oil equally over the breads.