Focaccia with rosemary and olives
Ingredients for 4 loaves:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of baking yeast powder
1 cup warm water
4 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh rosemary
Olives ( Greek befitting the better)
Coarse salt
Olive oil
Preparation:
Sift the flour into a deep bowl. Add the salt and yeast. Stir to evenly distribute the dry ingredients. Pour olive oil and water. Stir with a fork and make a medium thick batter. Cover the bowl with transparent film and let rise in a warm place – near a radiator, oven or sunlight (covered with a cloth). Allow about 2 hours to see the dough double in volume.
Cover the work surface with a sheet of baking paper and sprinkle with flour. With well-oiled hands, transfer the dough onto the paper. Knead the pastry adding flour until it stops sticking. Divide into 4 equal balls. Stretch each with your fingers to shape a birch leaf. Place each focaccia on a wide baking dish, covered with parchment paper.
Make slits in the bread with a sharp knife, imitating the designs of a birch leaf. Then brush them with olive oil and cover with transparent film. Let stand for 30 more minutes.
Just before baking, sprinkle the focaccia with rosemary twigs, coarse salt and pieces of pitted olives. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C until the loaves are nicely browned. They are equally delicious hot and cold. Perfect accompaniment to the cheese platter and a glass of red wine.
