Love focaccia but not the kneading? This recipe's for you. By Liane Arno
WHEN I first met Matt I was quite a naïve (in lots of ways – but that’s another story). Matt asked me if I had ever eaten a ripe olive off a tree. I told him I hadn’t even tried one in a jar. He told me I didn’t know what I was missing out on as he plucked a plump purple kalamata olive off the tree above us and handed it to me like he was seducing me with a peeled grape.
As I spat out the vile and bitter fruit (much to Matt’s delight) I vowed I would never try another. Well at least – not a fresh one.
WHEN I first met Matt I was quite a naïve (in lots of ways – but that’s another story). Matt asked me if I had ever eaten a ripe olive off a tree. I told him I hadn’t even tried one in a jar. He told me I didn’t know what I was missing out on as he plucked a plump purple kalamata olive off the tree above us and handed it to me like he was seducing me with a peeled grape.
As I spat out the vile and bitter fruit (much to Matt’s delight) I vowed I would never try another. Well at least – not a fresh one.
Fresh olives contain oleurpein which the tree uses to fend off invasive micro organisms as well as seed eaters. In case you are wondering why your trees are stripped bare it is because the birds eat the olives whole to avoid the bitterness but still get the nutrition. Matt (who is sometimes as good as a Google search) tells me that it was an ancient Roman who bent to pick up an olive that had been lying in the Mediterranean Sea and ate it and so discovered how to leach the bitterness out through brine.
Over the years I have come to love the taste of pickled olives – although not the process of the pickling, which I leave to Matt. I have found a wonderful way of using the pickled olives (admit it – if you pickle olives there are probably a few jars still sitting in the back of the pantry).
OLIVE FOCACCIA
Ingredients
Method
If using yeast or yeast and bread improver:
1. In a bowl dissolve the sugar in a bit of boiling water and then bring up the water content to 420 grams. The water should be tepid (ie. baby bottle warmth). Add the yeast and stir through and leave until it becomes a foamy mass on top.
If using sour dough:
1. In a bowl pour in the sour dough starter and add the water.
Next for both methods:
2. Add the flour and the salt to the mix and stir. You will end up with a shaggy dough. It will be quite soft – which is unlike any other dough you might have made in the past. Leave for 30 minutes.
Over the years I have come to love the taste of pickled olives – although not the process of the pickling, which I leave to Matt. I have found a wonderful way of using the pickled olives (admit it – if you pickle olives there are probably a few jars still sitting in the back of the pantry).
OLIVE FOCACCIA
Ingredients
- 1 packet of yeast and bread improver (I don’t care what tricks I use to make my dough rise – but if you only have yeast just use 3 level teaspoons! I much prefer using sour dough starter – so if you are a sour dough junkie like me – then use 100g of your starter instead)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (you won’t need this if you are using the sourdough starter)
- 10g salt
- 420g water
- 500g bread flour
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- Nice, flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
Method
If using yeast or yeast and bread improver:
1. In a bowl dissolve the sugar in a bit of boiling water and then bring up the water content to 420 grams. The water should be tepid (ie. baby bottle warmth). Add the yeast and stir through and leave until it becomes a foamy mass on top.
If using sour dough:
1. In a bowl pour in the sour dough starter and add the water.
Next for both methods:
2. Add the flour and the salt to the mix and stir. You will end up with a shaggy dough. It will be quite soft – which is unlike any other dough you might have made in the past. Leave for 30 minutes.
3. Pick up a side of the dough and fold it over to the other side of the bowl. Turn the bowl around a quarter turn and do this again. You will find that the dough will get less sticky each time you do this. When the dough gets quite resistant to getting over to the other side (about ten times) leave the dough in a ball like shape to rest in a warm place to double in size. This should take a few hours.
4. When the dough has doubled in size peel it away from the edges and plop (technical term) it onto the centre of a greased baking tray on which you have placed 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the centre. This is why focaccia is so naughty! Then bring the sides together like you are making an envelope and form a rough ball.
5. Leave the dough in a warm place for 4 – 6 hours to prove. I usually leave mine overnight on the kitchen bench. You will find that it will be a bubbly mass in the morning which you should then drizzle with more olive oil. More evil! Then take some olive oil and cover your fingertips (and this is the fun bit) reach into the dough to make finger holes. Pop an olive into each of the holes. I use whole olives which are lovely and juicy.
6. Finally grind some salt over the top and bake for 25 minutes in 225 degree oven. I have a steam oven which gives it a perfect finish – but if you don’t have one – put a tray of boiling water in the bottom shelf of the oven to create the same effect.
7. So all in all – probably about 5 minutes of actual work – no kneading required. Tell that to the Italian mamas!