Description
A soft, golden focaccia decorated with colorful vegetables, olives, herbs, and seeds to create an edible garden-inspired bouquet. It makes a beautiful savory centerpiece for brunches, celebrations, and family gatherings.
Ingredients
500 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 (7 g) sachet fast-action dried yeast
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for greasing and brushing
300 ml lukewarm water
Cherry tomatoes
Red onion
Asparagus
1 garlic bulb
Black olives
Fresh thyme stalks
Sea salt flakes
Nigella seeds
Fresh soft herbs
Salad leaves
Instructions
- Add the flour, dried yeast, and fine sea salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Gradually pour in the lukewarm water and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, mixing with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Alternatively, knead in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for about 5 minutes.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Gently knead the risen dough to release some of the trapped air. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 20 × 25 cm baking tin, add the dough, and gently stretch it toward the corners.
- Cover the tin with lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave the dough to rise for about 30 minutes, until noticeably puffy.
- Press your fingertips deeply into the dough to create focaccia dimples. Cover again and leave to rise for another 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan/Gas Mark 6.
- Decorate the dough with halved cherry tomatoes, pieces of red onion, and halved garlic to resemble flowers. Add halved black olives as flower centers and arrange asparagus spears and thyme stalks as stems.
- Brush the vegetable decorations generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and scatter nigella seeds near the bottom to create a soil-like effect.
- Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the baking tin, and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown with crisp edges.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes. Just before serving, decorate with fresh soft herbs and salad leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Rising times may vary depending on room temperature, so allow additional proofing time in a cool kitchen.
For a Mediterranean variation, decorate with bell pepper, zucchini, olives, rosemary, and cherry tomatoes.
Sturdy herbs such as rosemary and thyme can be baked with the focaccia, while delicate leafy herbs are best added after baking.
Avoid overcrowding the dough with high-moisture vegetables, as excess liquid can make the surface soggy.
For extra flavor, add grated Parmesan or another hard cheese toward the end of baking, or flavor the dough with dried Italian herbs or garlic-infused olive oil.
Store completely cooled focaccia in an airtight container or tightly wrapped at room temperature for 1 to 2 days.
For longer storage, freeze well-wrapped individual portions in a freezer-safe container or bag.
Reheat at about 180°C for several minutes until warmed through. A light drizzle of olive oil can help refresh focaccia that seems dry.
The dough can be prepared ahead and allowed to rise slowly in the refrigerator. Bring it closer to room temperature before shaping, proofing, decorating, and baking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 295 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
