Almost as much joy to bake as it is to eat. Use cherry tomatoes to get juicy little planets of blistered and sweet tomatoes in the surface of the bread, some sinking into the doughy dimples, and some not.
Makes 1 focaccia
330ml lukewarm water
7g fast-action dried yeast
500g strong white bread flour
6 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 tsp salt
200g cherry tomatoes, some halved, some not
8 sage leaves or 3 rosemary sprigs, torn
Generous ½ tsp flaky sea salt
1 Stir together the water and yeast and leave it to sit for 5-10 mins, or until it becomes foamy.
2 When it’s ready, tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast mixture, mixing vigorously, either by hand or using the dough hook on a kitchen mixer for a minute or so, then add 2 tbsp of the olive oil and the salt. Continue mixing for a further 10 mins, or until the dough becomes less sticky, smoother and more cohesive.
3 Brush a bowl with olive oil and tip in the dough. Cover and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about 1-1½ hrs, until it has nearly doubled in size.
4 Once proved, brush a deep-sided baking pan with a little olive oil, then tip the risen dough into the pan. Pull the dough towards the edges of the pan and use your fingertips to dimple it in places, keeping some spots still nicely aerated. Add about 1 tbsp more of olive oil over the surface of the dough, cover and leave to prove once more for about another 20 mins.
5 Preheat the oven to 230C/Fan 210C/Gas 8. Add the cherry tomatoes to the dough, squeezing some deep into pockets and leaving others protruding out a little more. Do the same with the sage leaves or torn rosemary sprigs, then sprinkle over the flaky sea salt.
6 Bake the dough in the very hot oven for about 25 mins, or until the crust is golden brown and puffed around edges.
7 Once baked, remove the focaccia from the oven and immediately drench it with the remaining olive oil, then allow it to cool for at least 10-15 mins before slicing.The loaf should sound hollow when it is tapped on the underside.
Taken from Tomato by Claire Thomson (Quadrille) Photography: Sam Folan
Find more tomato recipes from the book above in our September issue, including Tomato Carpaccio with Tapenade, Roasted Tomato Falafels with Tomato Yogurt and a Borscht.
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