Dear son’s request for dinner tonite was some cheese Ravioli(store-bought).I haven’t yet tried my hand at making fresh pasta from scratch.One day,some day is what I keep saying.Certainly on my “to try out”list though.I thought a nice garden salad with some black olives would go well with the pasta.Actually I saw a fair amount of the olives and wondered if it was that time of the year again to get down some bread baking.

I love baking this Olive foccacia and its been awhile since I made it.One of the best breads you could possibly eat.This one’s a family favorite.You could always play around with the ingredients and use some variations:

• Sun dried tomatoes and herbs
• Garlic and Rosemary
• Green olives and garlic

I personally love black olives…so Olive foccacia it is.If you do use garlic please be careful with the amount you use and it can make the bread pretty pungent.Olive paste is a good alternative,however fresh olives just gives it a wonderful fresh flavour.

This post is actually dedicated to a very dear friend Rohini.Thanks Ro for sharing this wonderful recipe with me.I remember learning to make a sun-dried foccacia with her many years ago. She now lives in Melbourne with her family and I sure miss our foodie times together.As you follow the recipe you will notice that I”ve used Weetabix in the dough.This is a great addition to this bread as it makes it high in fibre,healthier and wholesome.I like the bread slightly thickish,however you could always make it thinner so it results in a crisper foccacia.

Some Important Tips on baking Olive Foccacia:

YEAST:

•  I’ve just used some DCL(brand name) active dry yeast.Please ensure the water is lukewarm.Any hotter than that will kill the yeast.
• Whisk the yeast and the water well.Cover this mixture and let it rest in a warm dark place for at least 15-20 minutes.I usually keep it in my un heated oven.
• You know the yeast has fermented well if you see a thick frothy foam on top of the cup.

OLIVE OIL:

• Please use a liberal amount of olive oil while knocking down the dough.This will make the final product soft and light.

KNEADING AND KNOCKING DOWN THE DOUGH:

• This is a very important step.At first the dough had to be kneaded well.Once it has rested for at least an hour.You can add the olives and you literally have to knock down or punch this dough

 

 

Happy Bread making dear friends and thanks for reading my post.If if have an interesting ingredient that you would like to add to this foccacia,please do and I’d love to hear about it.I do hope this bread will be baked in your kitchens as well.It’s delish to say the leaast.And I doubt I’m going to have any remaining for dinner tonite…my son’s dipping a slice into some olive oi and devouring it.

With much love from my kitchen to yours…untill Ipost again.

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 200 gm plain flour
• 2 Weetabix biscuits
• 1 cup (lukewarm water)
• 11/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped olives,plus some extra for the topping
• 1 tablespoon dried Oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Crush the weetabix biscuits and add it to the flour.
2. Add the yeast and sugar to the lukewarm water and whisk well.
3. Keep the yeast mix in a warm and dark place for 15 minutes.
4. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil,salt and the yeast to the flour mix.
5. The consistency of the dough at this stage will be soggy.
6. Knead the dough well.Cover witha damp tea towel and let it rest for about an hour.
7. Knock down the dough and add the chopped olives,pepper and dried oregano.
8. Add the remaining oil as well.
9. Again let this dough rest for about an hour.
10. Grease a baking tray and shape the dough into a thickish oblong.
11. Add the chopped olives and brush with oil.
12. Bake at 180 C for about 25-30 minutes or till the crust is a medium brown.