Focaccia

In a bowl add the warm water and the dried yeast and with one hand mix well until all the yeast dissolves. Add all the flour plus salt and mix well for 5 minutes, until there are no more bits of dry flour and it forms a very shaggy dough.

Transfer the dough onto a work surface making sure there is no dough or flour left inside the bowl and start kneading the dough with the palms of your hands - be energetic and a little fast with your kneading movement. The slower your kneading movement, the stickier your dough will be on the table. Help yourself with the scraper if you need a little help! Knead for another 6 - 7 minutes. Once the dough it's nicely kneaded and elastic, make a ball shape, again help yourself by using the scraper. Add a tbsp of olive oil to the same bowl and with both hands spread it all around. Now transfer the dough inside and cover. Let it rest for 1 hour.

We suggest keeping the dough in a warm and wet environment for the best result. Usually, in bakeries, a dough proofer is often used, which is a warming chamber used to encourage the fermentation of dough by yeast through warm temperatures and controlled humidity. You can do the same at home leaving the dough inside your oven at 25-30 °C with a cup full of boiling water on the bottom to help to create humidity. Cover the dough at all times and once you put the cup of boiling water inside the oven, do not open the oven until the next step so you won't lose any humidity and warm temperature. Change the water in the cup with new boiling water every time you open the oven for the next step.

After one hour from the dough being rested fold the dough a few times. To fold the dough, wet your hand with a little bit of water and grab the dough at one side, lift it up, and fold it over on top of itself. Fold the dough four/five times, moving clockwise from the top of the bowl.

Now cover the bowl and let the dough rest for another hour always in a warm place.

After the dough been rest give the dough few folds again as you did before. Cover it and let it rest for another 30 min in a warm place.

Grab a baking tray ( 40 cm x 25 cm ) and line with baking paper. Add some olive oil on top and spread it all around the baking paper. Move the dough on the tray then stretch to fill the tin. Cover the dough with a plastic bag or a tea towel and let it rest for 20 min.

Now take the dough a press your fingers into it to make dimples. Place the tomato slices, the halved garlic cloves and the sprigs of rosemary on top and press the ingredients into the dough. Drizzle with olive oil on top and sprinkle same sea salt all over the dough. Let it rest for another 15 min in a warm place.

Turn the oven on to 445°F (fan) and place a small baking pan or a deep tray at the bottom of the oven. Once the oven reach the temperature put your focaccia in the middle of the oven and straight after add half glass of cold water into the small baking pan at the bottom and quickly close the oven. This will produce steam which helps the bread to rise.