Recipe Simple Rosemary Focaccia

[MypinchofItaly]

Serves 4-5, Preparation 10 minutes + 3 h rising, Cooking 30 minutes

You need: A built-in baking pan or: a medium classic rectangular non-stick baking pan with high edges (38 x 27 x 5 cm height) or also a medium round non-stick pan with high edges (30 x 2.5 cm height).

• 300 g durum wheat semolina’s flour
• 200 g Italian flour 00 – All Purpose flour
• 360 ml of lukewarm water
• 9 g dry brewer’s yeast (or 8 g fresh brewer’s yeast to dissolve in 2 tablespoons of warm water)
• 5 g sugar – half teaspoon
• 12 g fine salt – a teaspoon
• Evoo – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as needed to season
• Coarse salt, to taste
• a bunch of fresh rosemary

Method

In a large bowl put the two flours together with the dry yeast, salt and sugar. If you are using fresh yeast, dissolve it in 2 tablespoons of water and then add it to the flour creating a small basin in the middle.

Mix well together, make a hole in the center and insert the water in.

Start stirring with a wooden spoon.

The mixture will be very sticky, and that’s fine!

Tip: focaccia dough as well as the bread and pizza dough need a dry and warm temperature for leavening, if you don’t have a place warm enough to leaven it you can turn on the oven and pre-heat it a few minutes at 170 C, then turn it off and put the dough to rise in the oven.

Cover with transparent film or a dry kitchen towel and let the dough rise in the oven until it has doubled its volume. It would take about 2 hours.

Tip: the rising time may change depending on the temperature and may take up to 4 hours.

Once the dough is doubled, remove it from the bowl, dust the work surface with a little flour to work it better and flour your hands.

Tip: the processing of the focaccia, like that of bread, does not require the use of a rolling pin, the dough should be kneaded and spread only with the fingers of your hands.

Stretch the dough and make two folds closing it as if it were a wallet.
Transfer it into a baking pan slightly brushed with Evoo – no baking paper is needed – and, always using your fingertips, spread the dough evenly to the edges.

Add the rosemary leaves and a handful of coarse salt.

Put the baking tray back in the oven and let the focaccia rise for another hour.

After this hour, add a little more Evoo and flat the dough with your fingertips, then add more rosemary.

Bake in the oven to 200 C for about 20-25 minutes putting the baking pan on the bottom of the oven. The last 5 minutes put it in the upper part of the oven.

Let the focaccia cool down and then serve.