Our take on a traditional Italian bread
Ingredients
500g strong white bread flour
15g fresh yeast
10g sea salt + extra for the top
350g water (weighed)
50g good quality olive oil
20g semolina
A handful of rosemary
Heat your oven to 220 C/ gas 5.
Mix the flour and semolina together in a bowl. Add the yeast and crumble with your fingers, like you do when making a crumble topping. Once fully mixed, add the salt. You do not want the yeast and salt to mix directly, as the salt inhibits the natural process of the yeast.
Measure the olive oil and water for accuracy and add both to the flour mixture.
Use the dough scraper to mix it all together in a mixing bowl. Once mixed, gently turn out onto your surface and start kneading using the 'flipping over, thumping down' process to get the air into the dough.
Continue this process for 5 minutes, or until your dough resembles the 'belly of a nun who has never seen the sun'.
Place a tea towel over the dough and let it prove in a draft free place for an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
Grease a flat tray and gently ease your dough out of the bowl. Try not to stretch the dough, but rather coax it into a rectangle, letting it keep its natural shape.
Using your three middle fingers and starting at the top of the rectangle working down, press down into the dough, creating dents. Pour olive oil over the dough and into the holes. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle sea salt and more olive oil over the top of the bread and place into your oven for 22 - 25 mins at 220C.
Whilst it is cooking, chop your rosemary and 10 mins before its ready, sprinkle on the bread.
Let it cool on a rack before tucking in!
Download the recipe
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