Focaccia

Focaccia, an Italian bread made with Virgin olive oil and topped with olive oil and rock salt. The bread which has a characteristic soft texture is best made with an Italian bread flour (available from most supermarkets) it lends itself to a variety of toppings and flavours and is wonderful for picnics or for cold days to serve with soup. This version is tear and share in style, sandwiching the flavouring ingredients between the dough. Additional ingredients can be combinations such as, Gorgonzola, Thyme and garlic Parmesan and other good melting cheeses, Rosemary, black olives, caramelised onions, sage, Parmesan, sun dried tomatoes, Basil and Mozzarella. The basic dough recipe has slightly less salt than usual as the cheeses can be quite salty. The traditional finish to the bread is Olive Oil and rock salt sprinkled on the top, this is good when making a plain bread with no other flavourings. The little effort this bread takes is well worth it. If you have a bread maker use that to start the dough. The finished bread freezes well.