Focaccia!

This is an Italian bread typically made with lots of olive oil in it.  Don't worry if this recipe gives you a stickier and wetter dough than you're used to, it's supposed to be like that!  The way I made this requires a bread maker, if you don't have one then I've posted a link to the original recipe where you can see how it's made by hand.

Focaccia

(original recipe can be found here)

Ingredients

300ml tepid water

1 1/2 tsp dried yeast (although I cheated and used one of the sachets of fast acting yeast)

500g strong white bread flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil (plus more for drizzling over the bread before it's baked)

Herbs and salt

Method

1. I cheated and didn't make the dough by hand.  Instead I used my trusty bread maker and just put all the ingredients in there.  Making sure than the yeast was kept separate from the salt.  Then I just put my machine on to the dough setting and let it work its magic!

2. Once it's worked its magic with the dough take it out of the machine and place it on to a shallow baking tray.  I had to dust my dough with a little more flour as it was just too sticky to handle.  After placing it on the tray I roughly shaped it and then left it to rise again for another 30mins.  Whilst it is rising preheat the oven to 200C or 180C if you have a fan oven.

3. Then create a dimpled effect in the dough by poking your fingers into it gently.  Drizzle some olive oil over it and sprinkle with your herbs and salt.  I used dried herbs for this but fresh would be best.

4. Bake for around 25-35 minutes or until the top is crusty and it gives a hollow sound if you tap on the bottom of the loaf.

I would recommend anyone to get a bread maker.  They're so good and you can make so many different kinds of bread with them!  I've always been a bit rubbish at making bread by hand but this makes it so much easier and it's better (and cheaper) than buying supermarket bread all the time.  I just bought my bread machine from Argos so it doesn't have to be anything fancy, in fact mine only costs £40 which you could easily persuade someone to buy you as a present.  This is the one I have.