“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” – James Beard

This wonderful Cherry Tomato Focaccia was a  bake from the wonderful book that I received when I bought my Kitchenaid Artisan Standup Mixer in Dubai many years ago.

I have been baking bread for several years now and now teach bread making, which is amongst one of the popular classes.

The Kitchen Aid recipe book has an assortment of various recipes,ranging from  sauces, pasta dough recipes, breads of all kinds,pastries and pies and lots more.

This Focaccia is an easy recipe to follow recipe and does not require much skill at all.I’ve used cherry tomatoes and some Oregano and flavoured it with Olive oil and sea salt.Nothing beats the taste and smell of warm and fresh bread out of the oven.

So worth the effort!

Some Tips While Baking This Focaccia:

• You may like to use a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose flour in equal proportions and make this a healthier bake. Please do note that the addition of wholewheat will make this focaccia a bit more dense.
• I like to use fresh yeast whenever possible, however Instant or Active dried yeast work just as well.

Different Forms Of  Yeast:

• Fresh Yeast: This is also known as compressed yeast. This usually soft and quite crumbly in texture. This stays well if refrigerated upto two weeks.
• Instant Yeast: This yeast has very minute granules compared to Active dried yeast and does not need to be dissolved in water prior to adding it to the flour.
• Active Dried Yeast: This form of yeast has larger granules than the instant yeast and requires to be dissolved in water along with sugar prior to adding it to the flour. The water required should be lukewarm in temperature which is about 105 F as hot water will kill the yeast and cooler water will not activate the yeast.

Variations For Focaccia Topping:

A Focaccia is just wonderful plain, however toppings add a delicious burst of flavour to this flatbread. Here are some suggestions you may like to add just before baking.

• Chopped or whole Green/ Black Olive
• Fresh Rosemary, Chopped Garlic and cubed cheddar
• Chives and Sea Salt
• Roasted Artichokes
• Sliced Onions
• Arugula

Warning: Won”t last long as tastes delicious, hot out of the oven.Highly recommend baking two loaves at a time:) Happy Baking!

Warning: Won”t last long as tastes delicious, hot out of the oven.Highly recommend baking two loaves at a time.

Happy Bread Baking!

Cherry Tomato & Oregano Focaccia:

Makes 2 Loaves:

Ingredients:

• 30 grams Yeast (Instant or Active Dried)
• 400 ml Lukewarm water
• a pinch of sugar
• 800 grams All Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 125 ml Olive oil
• 12 small cherry tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons dried Oregano
• Extra Virgin Olive oil and sea salt for garnish

Directions:

1. Mix the yeast in the lukewarm water.Stir in the sugar and let it rest for 10 minutes or until foamy,if using active dried yeast.
2. Stir in the Olive oil.
3. Mix the flour and salt in the mixer.
4. Use the dough hook to knead and gradually add in the yeast.
5. The dough should be soft.
6. Knead for 2 minutes.
7. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave it to rise for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
8. Knock down the dough and add in the dried Oregano.
9. Divide the dough into two equal portions.
10. Roll each portion into circles.
11. Place them on a greased baking tray.
12. Make indents with your fingers in each circle.
13. Push a cherry tomato into each indent.
14. Cover again with a damp towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
15. Pre heat the oven to 200C.
16. Drizzle the dough with Olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt.
17. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.