Olive Focaccia

Chances are you have tasted a focaccia and found its combination of pillowy softness and crispy crust irresistible. Coupled with salty bursts of olive and luscious lashings of olive oil and flaked salt, it is a delicious addition to any social occasion. It does take some patience to make, there are undeniably quite a few steps but the result is certainly worth the effort. Why not give it a try? It freezes really well too!

Photographs and recipe by Michelle Ranson of perthfoodphotography.com & @localgoodnesswa

This focaccia is filling, tasty and a party favourite.

Olive Focaccia

 Prep time 20min    I Resting time 3hr   I Cooking time 20 min I Makes 16 large squares  

Ingredients 

500g all-purpose flour

2 flat tsp fine sea salt

7g instant yeast sachet

60ml Arthur’s Grove Extra Virgin Olive Oil

420ml lukewarm water (around 36-40 degrees Celsius)

150g Arthur’s Grove Mixed Olives, pitted

1 flat tsp flaked sea salt

1 flat tsp sumac powder

Method  

Place flour, fine sea salt and instant yeast in a large bowl and stir together well.

Add 30ml of olive oil and lukewarm water. Use a silicone spatula to gently combine all the ingredients without overworking the dough. Scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl and bring the dough together.

The dough should be damp, sticky and shaggy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it on the bench to rise for 30 minutes.

To help distribute the air pockets in the dough, use the following stretch-and-fold method. With the dough still in the bowl and with wet hands, gently lift one end of the dough furtherest from you, stretch it away from you then fold it over onto itself.

Rotate the bowl in one direction 90° degrees then stretch and fold again. Do this 4 times, rotating the bowl in the same direction each time. Scrape down the dough from the sides of the bowl again to bring the dough together.

Cover the bowl and leave it on the bench for 30 minutes. Repeat this process of stretching and folding every half an hour so that by the time 2 hours has passed, you have done this 4 times in total.

Wet your hands each time so the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers. As time goes by, the dough will become less shaggy and more smooth. Line a large baking tray (approximately 36cmx30cm) with baking paper, grease the paper with 15ml of olive oil.

Place the dough in the tray by tipping the bowl and letting gravity slowly pull it out. Use the spatula to lift the undersides if need be. Gently stretch the dough out in the tray, it may not reach all the edges yet.

Drizzle the last 15ml of olive oil on the dough and gently massage it over all the exposed sides of the dough.

Use all of your finger tips and gently push them halfway into the top of the dough making lots of little dimples in it. Place the olives in some of the dimples. Cover the tray with a tea towel and rest the dough for the final 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 220°C.

Sprinkle the dough with the flaked sea salt and sumac powder.

Place the tray in the oven on the middle shelf for 20 minutes or until the focaccia is golden brown. Use the skewer cake testing method to check if it is done.

Remove the tray from the oven and lift the focaccia out of the tray and onto a cooling rack using the overhanging baking paper. Carefully pull the paper out and discard it.

Allow the focaccia to cool before cutting.