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The Ultimate Lockdown Recipe: Italian Focaccia
If you’re like me, there is something about Italy in all of its glory that just… *sigh*… it gives me the ultimate heart eyes. The landscapes, the people, the romantic music you hear as you wander the cobble stone streets…the FOOD!
At EHL we celebrate all cultures, with a deep passion to travel and see righthand how other people live. One of the ways we love to learn about a culture and get a real taste for it (quite literally) is to savour their cuisine and even take cooking classes! Because food says so much about a culture!
Okay, I may be slightly biased as my mum is Italian and I hold an Italian passport, but hey – I don’t think I am alone in this!
Seeing as we have been limited and unable to frequent our favourite restaurants during lockdown, I have recently challenged myself to bake my favourite foods where one of the most recent creations has been the traditional rosemary focaccia – oh yes!
The GREAT NEWS – this recipe is so simple and makes for a great addition to any picnic (seeing as we are spending more time at the park these days).
So, here is what you will need.
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- 1 heaping tablespoon of fresh rosemary (or 2 tsp dried)
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- ½ teaspoon honey (thyme-honey if you have it!)
- 2 ½ all-purpose flour (ideally Type 00 flour)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons of milk (or milk alternative)
- 1/2 cup green olives (and a few extra to nibble on, hehe)
METHOD
Preparation: 10 minutes
Rise time: 1 hour
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Preheat oven to 190 C.
- In a small pan, infuse the olive oil with salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic for 5 minutes over low-medium heat until it becomes aromatic. Do not let the garlic brown.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the yeast with warm water and honey and let sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate. You may notice bubbles form – this will allow the dough to rise!
- Add flour to the yeast, water and honey mixture, 2 tablespoons of the oil mixture and milk to combine. Knead the dough until smooth and in a consistent texture.
- Let the dough rise at room temperature or in a warm place for 1 hour where it will double in size.
- Transfer the leavened dough to a medium sized pan and add dimples to the top of the dough with your fingers. Add the olives on top and drizzle the remaining olive oil and herb mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes until golden, do a little happy dance AND patiently wait to cool and enjoy!
I can already hear you saying ‘mamma mia I cannot believe I created this!’ – simple, delicious, a MUST try.
Let us know how you get on and share your mouth-watering creations by tagging @embodyhealthlondon_ on IG!
EHL x
