Foccacia bread

foccacia is a flat oven-baked italian bread and is related to pizza.
known since ancient rome, "panis focacius" became an emblem of italian flavors.
the smell of fresh baked bread, ennobled by the olive oil and mediterranean herbs (oregano, basil, sage, thyme, rosemary) always creates the same pure desire of tasting and making it absolutely irresistible.
the most important ingredient in italian cuisine is "passion"...only those who cook with passion can reproduce the taste of italian recipes. balanced flavors are not to be found in the quantity but in the senses of the person who cooks. each ingredient must be examined, smelled, touched, so that it becomes a symphony of flavors.
stir batter with your hands to reach a sticky consistency and elastic-smooth texture.
ingredients:
-500 gr flour
-300 ml warm water
-a sachet of yeast (i already had mixed flour with yeast)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
-a pinch of salt

mix the yeast with some flour, some warm water, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt and allow to stand for a 15 minutes, to grow. then mix the rest of the flour with olive oil and yeast. then pour the remaining warm water gradually, stirring constantly until the batter gets smooth.

at the end the batter has to be smooth and sticky.

cover the batter with a clean cloth and set aside to rise.


when batter has risen (after about 30 minutes), grease tray with oil and powder it with flour.

place batter into tray and grease it with very little olive oil then sprinkle oregano over it.

cover the tray with a clean cloth and leave it to prove for a further 30-40 minutes.

puncture the dough with a fork from place to place and put the baking tray into the oven.
set the oven to 200ºc.
once baked, remove the foccacia from the oven and test it with a toothpick. if the toothpick comes out clean it means that the foccacia is baked.

once the foccacia is baked cover it with a clean cloth and allow to stand for a few minutes.
smells great. it feels just like you are in a bakery!

slice the focaccia while is still warm and serve it right away.

focaccia is served with salad or main course.
here you can see how soft on the inside the focaccia is.

once again you can drizzle some olive oil over the top.
ideally, focaccia is slightly crispy on the outside, soft and airy on the inside.
enjoy!