When these rolls come out of the oven they’ll seem quite hard, but they’ll soften up after being brushed with olive oil while they’re still warm. They can easily be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. The recipe is based on one from Richard Bertinet’s book Dough.
Ingredients
Method
Main
1.Preheat oven to 250C. Combine yeast and 320ml lukewarm water in a bowl and stand in a warm place until foamy (5-10 minutes). Add flour, olive oil and a large pinch of salt and mix until combined, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to combine. Dough will be very soft.
2.Heavily flour a work surface, then roll out dough to a 35cm x 45cm rectangle. Brush excess flour from dough, then scatter olives, rosemary and parmesan over and press gently into dough. With longest side facing you, roll dough away from you, forming a cylinder. Pinch edges to seal and dust with flour. (Dough will be very soft; use extra flour if necessary to help roll.) Cut widthways into 8 pieces, then seal one cut-side of each piece by pinching with your fingers. Transfer sealed side down to a lightly oiled oven tray, then press down on each piece to expose the olive filling, shaping into loose rounds. Cover with a flour-dusted tea towel and stand until doubled in size (30 minutes).
3. Reduce oven to 220C and bake focaccette until golden and cooked through (20-25 minutes; having the oven at a higher initial temperature will give the bread a blast of high heat to begin with). Transfer to a wire rack, brush with a little olive oil and stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Focaccette are best eaten within a day of making and can be served warm or at room temperature.
Drink Suggestion: Crisp, refreshing pinot grigio. Drink suggestion by Max Allen
Notes
