Focaccia
Ligurian-style flatbread soaked in olive oil, crisp outside and soft inside, with deep dimples holding pools of salty brine.
Method
Pour the lukewarm water (it should feel like a warm bath) into a large bowl and stir in the yeast and honey until dissolved. Add the flour and mix with a spoon or spatula until there is no dry flour left; the dough will be wet and sticky. Cover and leave for so the flour can soak up the water.
Add in this stepLukewarm water (about 35 °C) 190 mlInstant dried yeast 2 gHoney (or sugar) ½ tspBread flour 250 g
Sprinkle the salt and olive oil over the dough and squeeze it with a wet hand for about 2 minutes until the salt disappears. Cover, wait , then do a set of folds: with a wet hand, grab one edge, stretch it up and fold it over to the other side; turn the bowl and repeat on all four sides. Do 3 sets of folds in total, resting before each. The dough will turn smoother and springier and start to hold its shape.
Add in this stepFine salt (for the dough) 5 gExtra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
Pour olive oil into a 20×20 cm baking tin (metal gives the crispest base) and spread it over the bottom and sides. Tip in the dough, turn it once to coat both sides, then gently push it towards the corners with your fingertips. If it keeps shrinking back, let it rest 10 minutes and try again. Cover and leave in a warm spot for , until doubled in size with bubbles on the surface.
Add in this stepExtra virgin olive oil 1½ tbsp
Whisk the brine water and the remaining olive oil in a cup with a fork until cloudy. Oil your fingertips and press firmly straight down all over the dough, right to the bottom of the tin, to make deep dimples. Pour the brine over so it pools in the holes, scatter over the rosemary leaves and the coarse salt. Leave to rise for more while the oven heats to 230 °C (210 °C fan).
Add in this stepWater (for the brine) 25 mlExtra virgin olive oil 2½ tbspFresh rosemary sprigs 1Coarse sea salt ½ tsp
Bake on the lowest shelf of the oven at 230 °C for . It is done when the top is golden with darker brown patches and the base is golden and crisp when you lift a corner with a spatula.
ovenTake it out of the tin straight away and put it on a wire rack; left in the tin, the base steams and goes soft. Cool for at least 10 minutes, then cut with scissors or a serrated knife.
Cook's tip
A sticky dough is normal: don't add flour, just wet or oil your hands. Rising times depend on room temperature, so go by the look (doubled, bubbly) rather than the clock. Leftovers crisp up again in a hot oven or dry frying pan the next day.
Cooking it at camp
Without an oven it is easiest to bake at home and bring it along. To bake at camp, press the dough into an oiled cast-iron Dutch oven (about 26 cm), put more coals on the lid than underneath and bake for 20–25 minutes, checking the base, which burns easily. A warm car or a sunny spot speeds up the rising.