if i only had known before how easy it is to make great italian bread! after the ciabatta a few weeks ago i tried focaccia today. the recipe was compiled after checking here and and once again at delicious days: dissolve 20g fresh yeast in 250ml lukewarm water, add a knife tip of sugar. mix 275g flour (type 550) with 1tbsp rosemary and 1tsp ground sea salt. add half of the flour-mix and 1tbsp olive oil to the yeast-water-mix and stir for 2 minutes. add the remaining flour and stir again for 4 minutes, it’s ok if it is quite sticky. about the rising: it is important to give the dough enough time, like up to 24 hours, preferably in the fridge. i let it rise on the counter for about an hour (that is: i forgot it there), by that time the dough had already almost doubled its volume. then i put it in the fridge for 6 hours. 2 hours before baking time i let it warm up in the living room (at 21°).  the finish: pour the dough on a baking tray lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. try not to destroy the bubbles. use oiled fingertips to bring the dough in shape, you may also want to punch a few holes in it to make for the authentic look. mix 1tsp of coarse sea salt with 1tsp of rosemary and sprinkle on top of the foccacia. bake at 210° (or higher, but my oven is very hot…) for 15-20 minutes.

yes, this is really delicious. but what was the first reaction from my fellow eater? “i thought you were going to make it with olives!” and after like five slices “hm. i’m thinking the whole time how it would taste with olives…”. well, you are welcome to give it a try. here is the recipe.