RAPESEED OIL FOCACCIA

Put the flour, yeast, cold-pressed rapeseed oil, sea salt and 300ml of the water into a large bowl. Gently stir with a wooden spoon, or your hands, to form a rough dough. (You can use a freestanding mixer and dough hook.) Knead the dough in the bowl for approximately 3 minutes and add the remaining 100ml water to form a sticky dough. Then stretch the dough with your hand, releasing it until the dough begins to feel tighter, holding its shape. Tip the dough on to a well-oiled surface and knead and stretch the dough for a further 5 minutes or until the dough is silky smooth. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size – or at this stage you can place in the fridge and leave to prove overnight.

Line a large baking tray (or 2 smaller ones) with baking parchment and brush the base generously with cold-pressed rapeseed oil. Tip the dough out of the bowl, either into one large baking tray or cut in half and put on two smaller trays. Push the dough down and stretch into the corners. Leave to prove uncovered until the dough has doubled in size (approximately 1 hour).

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 220°C / 200°C fan. Drizzle the dough with the extra cold-pressed rapeseed oil, sprinkle with sea salt and push your fingertips into the surface of the dough to create dimples. Insert the small sprigs of fresh rosemary into the dough. Then bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little more cold-pressed rapeseed oil. Serve warm – or cold. Delicious with tomato, red pepper and basil soup.

HINTS AND TIPS
Alternative toppings include red onion, cherry tomatoes, chopped chilli. Focaccia is great for sandwiches, toasted. Freezes well.