Focaccia Bread Recipe

When you turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool after baking, drizzle a little olive oil over the surface. The bread will soak up the oil as it cools to give even more flavor.

Ingredients

3 whole bulbs garlic with their bases sliced off
1 lb. 2 oz. white self-rising flour
1 tsp. fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp. salt
1-1/4 cups tepid water
1/4 cup of olive oil
fresh rosemary leaves, chopped from several rosemary sprigs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roast the bulbs and cut side down for 20 minutes or until soft. Squeeze the cooked cloves from their skins into a small bowl. Mash lightly so that some cloves remain whole. Set aside.

2. Put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast and salt, half the water, and all the oil. Using a fork, draw the flour from the edge of the bowl into the well.

3. Stir in the rest of the water, bit by bit, until it forms a dough. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then leave it in a clean, lightly floured, covered bowl to rest for 1 hour.

4. Knock the air out of the dough. Spread it out in a floured baking tray, rub in the olive oil, scatter garlic and rosemary on top, and leave to rest, covered, for 30 minutes. Then bake for 20 minutes or until the surface is golden brown.