I love bread. The one that always seems to turn out well for me is focaccia. So, using Jamie Oliver’s standard focaccia bread recipe and amending it a little below, I experimented using some toppings of my own. I loved the results!

Recipe – for the dough

500g strong white bread flour

1tsp sea salt

300ml warm water

1 sachet dried yeast

1/2 tsp of brown sugar

Method

Place the flour and teaspoon of sea salt into a large bowl, and make a well in the middle. In a jug, add together the yeast, sugar and water, and mix with a fork. Leave this for a few minutes and, when it starts to foam, slowly pour it into the well, mixing with a fork as you go.

As soon as all the ingredients come together, which may take a minute or so, knead vigorously for around 5 minutes until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.

I divided the dough in two, Lightly oiled two bowls and transferred the dough to the bowls. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 180°c. Prep your toppings (I chose garlic and rosemary for one, and roasted red peppers for the other)

When the dough has risen, pound it then push into your chosen tray. Push down roughly on top of the dough to make lots of rough dips and wells. Add your toppings and recover with a tea towel to prove again for 20 minutes.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Devour with your chosen oils!