Step-by-step

F L O W E R F O C A C C I A

Serves 12 Takes 50 mins plus proving Cost per serve 39p

500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting 7g sachet quick-action dried yeast 1 tsp caster sugar 1 tsp fine salt 100ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing and brushing 5 parsley sprigs, leaves picked, thick stalks reserved 1 carrot, peeled into ribbons, larger strips halved lengthways 3 pitted black olives, roughly chopped 2 red chillies, deseeded and cut into 1cm slices 1 small red onion 8-10 fresh sage leaves 4 cherry tomatoes, 1 halved, 3 quartered, seeds removed 24 black peppercorns 1 tsp sea salt flakes

1 Put the flour in a large bowl and stir in the yeast, then the sugar, then the salt, making sure each ingredient is mixed in before adding the next. Make a well in the centre and pour in 40ml oil and 350-400ml lukewarm water; mix to form a sticky dough. 2 Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead with floured hands for 10 mins until smooth and elastic. It will be sticky, but if it’s too difficult to knead, dust with a little flour. Shape into a ball. 3 Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and loosely cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1-1½ hrs or until doubled in size. 4 Knock the dough back by kneading it briefly in the bowl (pic A, right). Lightly grease a 25 x 35cm baking sheet. Tip in the dough and spread it out to roughly fit. Cover again and leave in a warm place for 30-45 mins until roughly doubled in size and a gentle fingerprint made in the surface leaves a small indentation (pic B). Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. 5 Drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, then use your fingertips to make deep indentations all over the dough. To decorate, stick the thick parsley stalks into the dough to resemble stems. Roll up the carrot strips to make ‘rosebuds’, then place among the stalks, adding a few parsley leaves underneath. For ‘poppies’, put pieces of chopped olive in the middle of each chilli slice and place among the stalks. Cut 3 slices from the centre of the red onion and arrange on the dough, decorating their stalks with sage leaves. Arrange the tomatoes and peppercorns either side of the stalks to create flowers. Decorate with a few extra parsley and sage leaves. Using a small pastry brush, brush the decorations with a little oil (pic C). 6 Bake for 20-22 mins until golden, covering with foil for the last 5 mins if the toppings are browning too much. Drizzle with 45ml oil and scatter with the sea salt. Cool in the tin for 25 mins until just warm to the touch, then serve.

Each serving contains

Energy Fat Saturates

Sugars Salt 1012kJ 240kcal 10g 2g 2g 0.5g 12% 14% 8% 2% 9%

of the reference intake. See page 81. Carbohydrate 35g Protein 5g Fibre 2g Low in saturated fat

GIVE ME MORE!

Want more help with the baking and decorating? Use this QR code to find a step-by-step video. A KNOCKING BACK THE DOUGH

This helps to redistribute the air bubbles that form when it’s rising, so you get an even distribution and a more consistent texture throughout the cooked bread.

B KNOWING WHEN THE DOUGH IS READY

The dough has proved enough when you can see visible bubbles and it springs back slowly after a gentle poke, leaving a small indentation. If the indentation springs back completely right away, let it prove a little longer.

C DECORATING THE FOCACCIA

You can use any herbs or veg you like; just make sure they’re stuck to the surface of the bread by the oil or they might fly off in a fan oven. The oil also helps to protect the decorations from burning.