Lemon & Sea Salt Foccaccia
This bread practically vibrates with sunshine - the lemon provides a bright and slightly bitter kick, which cuts through the warm pool of olive oil which accumulate on its crust. Add some strands of fresh rosemary, and the merest sprinkle of good quality sea salt, and you've got the perfect side dish for a delicious Spring lunch. Oh - and it stays fresh for two whole days as well, meaning you can make it the day before if you're planning to take it to a picnic.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 7 tablespoons really good extra virgin olive oil
- 450 g White bread flour, plus more for kneading
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Leaves of 2-4 branches fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 lemons, washed and very thinly sliced into rounds
- A sprinkling of coarse sea salt
Preparation
Step 1
For the dough, dissolve the yeast in 50ml warm (but not hot!) water in a medium bowl. Stir in 110ml water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon for around a minute or so until a rough ball of dough forms. Briefly knead the dough on a floured surface for around two minutes until smooth. Shape the dough into a ball. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil into a large bowl. Roll dough around in bowl until coated with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot until it has doubled in size - this should take about 2 hours, so you might want to go away and read a book, or watch the Cornonation Street omnibus or something. Pour a thin film of oil into two small cake pans (I used a square version of these).
Halve the dough and put one piece into each pan. Using your fingertips, spread dough out in each pan. The dough is elastic and will resist stretching. Let it relax for 5 minutes or so after you've stretched it as far as it will go. Eventually, it will cooperate and fill the pan.
Preheat the oven to 450°C (Gas Mark 7). Cover the pans with damp dishcloths and let the dough rest for around 45 minutes until it has swollen to fill the pans to the brim.
Uncover the pans. Sprinkle the dough with the rosemary. Using your fingertips, poke dimples into the dough in each pan, then liberally drizzle with oil so it pools in the hollows. Arrange thin rounds of lemon on top, drizzle with more oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. Be careful with the salt! The first time I made this, I put way too much on mine, making it practically inedible. A small sprinkling should do here in order to allow all the flavours to come through.
Bake the focaccia until golden brown, 20-30 minutes. Drizzle with more oil when you pull the focaccia from the oven. Serve cut into wedges with an icy cold glass of white wine. Yum.