Ingredients (for 6-8 persons)

400 g flour

5 g yeast

10 g salt

300 ml warm water

100 ml olive oil

to decorate: rosmary, onion, tomato, olives (according to the season)

Time: well, a lot. But not a lot. It is a long procedure to make, but when the dough is resting, you are a free person. And making focaccia is mainly letting the dough rest. When you actually make something is maximum 20 minutes. And things are happening in 4 hours.

A bowl of fresh salad goes well with it, and a glass of white wine on the side can be never too much. 

 

Be seasonal

There are several reasons to follow the seasons. The first is obviously taste, everything taste better when they are in season. If you are smart enough in the summer, you can cheat, and preserve some tastes of the summer for winter. You can replace fresh tomatoes with sundried ones. You can dry out herbs, and use spices instead of the fresh ones. Onion and olives are basically always in season. You can use other ingredients to put on the focaccia, these are just the traditional ones. Experiment with different combinations, just do not put too much topping on the dough, because it is going to either soak it, or make it too heavy.

I am not sure people followed the seasons because they thought about it too much, but most likely they didn't have an other option. But today we know, things not only taste better when they are fresh, but they also "costs" less, and not only moneywise. But also environmentallywise. We have a fantastic Planet, and on some parts of it there is always watermelon growing somewhere. So technically it is always available, thanks for trasportation across the whole world. Transportation goes together with pollution. It is slowly destroying our environment, and our physical and mental health too.

Preparation

In a smaller bowl mix flour and salt, and in a bigger one the warm water with the yeast, mix them together. In the empty bowl pour the third of the oil, and place the sticky dough in it. Cover with a kitchen towel for an hour. When time is up, fold the dough in half. Let it rest for an other hour. Repeat folding and resting for three times, and every time pour a little bit of oil over and around the dough, so it will not stick to the bowl.

After the last one, you will see the dough is full with air bubbles. Place it on the baking tray very carefully, cover it, and let it rest for 15 minutes. Now it is time to play around with the oily dough, and I should write it is time for your kids to enter the kitchen. Well, they can join you of course, but it is also fun for grown ups!! Shape the dough as you want, and after that, let it rest under cover for 10 minutes.

Now time has come to decorate the focaccia. When you finished, cover it again, and let it rise for 20 minutes. Before puttting into the hot oven pour the rest of the oil over.

Now you can preheat the oven for 240 degrees. Bake them for 15-20 minutes (in the last minute take it out, dust it with a tiny bit of flour, put it back to the oven for 300 degrees for 1! minute), and check the bottom for hollow sound, and if you hear it, it is done.