Focaccia
You asked for bread (well technically Sourdough, coming soon lol) but BREAD was mentioned nonetheless. Focaccia will fulfill all of those bread cravings, filling, salty, flavorsome, and cheese IS an option but not necessary.
I found this recipe from the amazing "Avoca Café Cookbook" and tampered it slightly over the years to find my favorite toppings and methods! Below is Part 1 of the stream, due to technical difficulties (I dropped the mic onto the ethernet cable) the stream was split in two..
If you'd prefer to use a stand mixer to make this recipe, go ahead! I prefer to use my hands as I find its a lot more effective and even somewhat easier. Toppings are completely up to you but you NEED to try it with at least Sea Salt & Rosemary. I promise you, these flavors alone are phenomenal.
Focaccia
7g - Sachet of Dried Yeast (or 20g Fresh Yeast)
1 tsp - Sugar
250ml - Warm Water
1/2 tsp - Salt
450g - Strong White Flour
4tbsp - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Optional Toppings
2 Sprigs of Rosemary
Red Onion
Cherry Tomatoes
Black Olives
To start, combine the warm water, sugar, and dried yeast in a small bowl and leave aside for 10 minutes to activate. Check the water to make sure it isn't TOO warm as it can kill the yeast, warm to touch is fine!
On a clean surface, sieve the flour and salt together. Using your hands, make a large wide well. Pour in 2tbsp of Olive oil and your yeast mixture.
Shape your hand in a claw shape and starting to slowly mix the flour into the centre, bit by bit. Try not to do it all at once or you'll end up with it all over your floor.
As it thickens up you can bring it all together and once combined, begin kneading. You'll want to knead this mixture for roughly 10 minutes until a window is formed within the dough. You can find this whole process in this clip of my stream, honestly watch this, it'll help a lot!
Once finished, form a ball and place in an oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm or a shower cap for one hour to start its bulk fermentation.
Take a swiss roll tray (I find these the best as they're a perfect size) and oil it with more olive oil before placing the risen dough in. Press out and form into all of the corners carefully without ripping the dough.
Now prod the dough with your fingers all over and place your chosen toppings in (for the rosemary I like to pinch little sprigs into the actual dough to help it stick.) Now place a damp cloth on top and leave for a further 20 minutes in a warm area to help rise again before baking.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C Fan/430°F. Take the dough and after removing the cloth, drizzle over the remaining 2tbsp of Olive oil and season heavily with Sea Salt.
Bake for 10 minutes before reducing the oven down further to 180°C/160°C Fan/360°F for another 15 minutes until fully baked. You can check this by knocking on the bottom of the bread, you're looking for a hollow sound!
Once baked, let cool briefly before enjoying this absolutely DELICIOUS bread!
If you make this Foccacia, be sure to tag me on my socials! I hope you all enjoy my loves!! x