Focaccia

Put 350 ml lukewarm water (about 35 °C) into a large bowl. Crumble in the yeast, add the sugar and stir until the yeast has dissolved.

• 350 ml Water
• ½ cube Yeast
• 1 tsp Sugar

Add the flour, 2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp olive oil and stir with a spoon into a sticky dough.

• 500 g Flour
• 2 tsp Salt
• 30 ml Olive oil

Knead with the dough hooks of the hand mixer for about 6 minutes, until the dough is supple. It stays soft and sticks a little.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 60 minutes, until doubled and full of bubbles.

Meanwhile, while step 4 runs

Meanwhile, oil a baking sheet generously with 3 tbsp olive oil.

• 46 ml Olive oil

Meanwhile, while step 4 runs

Pull the rosemary needles off the stems and chop them coarsely.

• ½ bunch Rosemary

Gently slide the dough onto the sheet and stretch it with oiled fingers into a rectangle (about 25 × 35 cm). If it springs back, let it rest for 10 minutes and stretch it again.

Cover the sheet and let the dough rise for about 20 minutes, until it has clearly risen.

Preheat the oven to 220 °C top and bottom heat. The dough keeps rising meanwhile.

Press deep dimples into the dough with your fingertips, almost down to the bottom of the sheet.

Drizzle the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil over it, so that it pools in the dimples.

• 44 ml Olive oil

Scatter the chopped rosemary over the dough and sprinkle 1 tsp coarse salt on top.

• 1 tsp Salt

Slide the sheet onto the middle rack of the hot oven and bake for about 22 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the edges are crispy.

Let the focaccia cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then cut it into 12 pieces. It tastes best lukewarm.