Herb Focaccia

This Herb Focaccia recipe is my ultimate go-to! It's simple, delicious and you can customise it whichever way you like. In this recipe I've gone for a fresh herb topping to keep it vibrant, but if you are feeling a little extra load this up with extra parmesan for a crispy cheesy focaccia.

Skill Level: Easy
Makes: 1 Large Focaccia
Time: 40 mins, plus 3 hours of rising time

Ingredients

• 625ml  (2.5 cups) of warm tap water
• 2 teaspoons of honey or sugar
• 7g (2.5 teaspoons) of dry active yeast
• 625g (5 cups) of plain flour, sifted
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1/4 cup of olive oil, plus extra for greasing the tray
• 1 small bunch of your choice of soft leaf herbs: basil, parsley, oregano, thyme
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 generous pinch of flaky salt

Watch the process

Method

1. Fill a medium bowl with 2.5 cups of warm water (40 degrees, body temp) and dissolve 2 teaspoons of honey/sugar into the water. The sugar helps activate the yeast, giving it something to feed on.
2. Whisk in 2.5 teaspoons of yeast and then allow to stand for 10 minutes or until you start seeing the top of the mixture start to become creamy, frothy and bubbly.
3. Meanwhile, place 5 cups of sifted flour and 1 tablespoon of salt into a large bowl and mix.
4. Pour your yeast mixture into the bowl with the flour and salt and use a spatula to mix until you get a rough, shaggy dough.
5. Generously oil a large dish or pot and transfer your dough into it. Now gather up the edges of the dough farthest from you and lift up and over into the centre of the tray. Give the tray a quarter turn and repeat the ‘stretch and fold’ process for a few revolutions.
6. Cover with a tea towel or lid and allow to rest in a warm spot for about 3 hours or until it has doubled in size.
7. Grease a large baking tray (30 x 20cm) and then transfer your dough to the tray.
8. Again, do some ‘stretch and folds’ to your dough for another few revolutions, and then use your fingers to gently spread the dough out in the pan. Allow to rest for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until the dough has expanded to the entire surface of the pan.
9. Meanwhile, place 3 cloves of garlic, a small bunch of herbs of choice, salt and 1/4 cup of olive oil into a food processor and blitz until you get chunky herb pesto-like sauce. Use a spoon to mix it around, adding oil to make it saucy.
10. Transfer the herb paste onto the top of the dough and use your fingers to slather the paste all over the top.
11. Make dimples all over with your fingers to infuse the herb paste into your dough.
12. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of flaky salt and then bake in the oven (220 degrees fan forced) for about 30 minutes or until fully cooked in the centre and golden brown on the outside.
13.  Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.