Nothing beats the satisfaction of making - and eating! - your own bread. Stuffed with spinach, olives and mozzarella, this is a delicious twist on an Italian classic.
Ingredients
- 450g strong plain white flour
- 300ml warm water
- 2tsp dried yeast
- 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- 250g frozen spinach, defrosted
- 250g mozzarella, cubed
- 4tbsp Kalamata pitted olives, chopped
- 2tsp of fresh thyme leaves
- Sea salt for sprinkling
- Salt and pepper to taste
WEIGHT CONVERTER
Method
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the yeast. Make a well in the centre, pour in the oil and water and with the help of a wooden spoon, mix all together.
- Transfer the mixture onto a floured surface and knead for 10 mins until you create a smooth and elastic dough.
- Place the bread dough into a greased bowl, cover with a kitchen cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1½ hrs until nearly doubled in size.
- In the meantime, squeeze the spinach to remove any excess water and place into a large bowl. Add in the mozzarella, olives and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Brush a 25cm loose-bottom cake tin with oil.
- Briefly knead the dough once more and divide into two pieces. Roll out the first piece a little larger than the tin. Once ready, place on the bottom of the tin and try to mould the side higher than the base.
- Spread the spinach mixture over the base, leaving 1cm from the edges.
- Roll out the remaining dough to the same size of the tin, brush the edges with a little water and place over the filling. Ensure that you press the edges together well to seal.
- Using your fingers press all over the surface and then brush with the extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with the sea salt and bake in the middle of a preheated oven at 220º for 20-30 mins until risen and firm.
- Once ready, leave the bread to rest into the tin for 10 minutes then place on a wire rack to slightly cool. Enjoy the focaccia bread while still warm and fragrant.
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