Authentic Italian...

Foccacia is a great bread to bake at home. Easy, foolproof and appealing, it makes wonderful sandwiches but can be eaten just by itself. This recipe and picture were sent to me by an Italian friend. Romina is a die-hard foodie and we get along wonderfully in spite of the fact that she speaks little English and I speak no Italian. On a recent trip to the US, she declared that she would love to contribute recipes to my blog and I accepted willingly. Like me, she is adventurous and will taste and reproduce anything that strikes her fancy. This particular recipe is a tried and tested old favorite. I have a feeling we will be hearing from her again....and why not? There is nothing as generous as sharing personal recipes- so feel free to send in your favorites and I'll be happy to spread it around.

Romina's recipe for Focaccia

(20 cm x 30 cm bread tin)

750g of bread flour

38 g fresh yeast (NOT dried )

390 ml lukewarm water

7 tbsp (tablespoon) of Olive Oil for the dough + 10/15 tbsp for top of focaccia and tin.

2 tsp (teaspoon) of Sugar

23 g coarse salt

Salt to taste

1.Crumble the yeast in a small bowl, add the sugar and half of the lukewarm water. Mix all to dissolve the yeast, then cover the bowl with a saucer and wait until a light foam forms on the surface.
2. Dissolve the salt in a glass with the rest of the water.
3. Combine the flour, 7 tbsp of oil, and the yeast mixture in a large bowl. Knead for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is homogenous, elastic and smooth (If the dough is too firm add some water and if it is too soft add some flour) - the dough should be spongy and should not stick to your fingers.

4. Shape the dough into a ball and sprinkle both the dough and the bowl with flour. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for at least two hours. The dough should double in volume.

5. Lightly grease the loaf tin with oil or cooking spray and stretch the dough to fill the tin.
Using your fingertips make dimples in the dough and pour the oil over them . Then turn the dough upside down and repeat the process on the other side.

Cover with a clean cloth and leave it to rise for an hour in a warm place.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.(200°c/Gas Mark 6)
Sprinkle the surface of the dough with the coarse salt and spray lightly with the salted lukewarm water. Bake it for 10-15 minutes until golden. Buon appetito.