Wild Garlic Focaccia

A wooden board with slices of focaccia topped with wild garlic.

No ratings yet

Wild Garlic Focaccia, a lovely Spring twist on the classic Italian bread. A pillowy soft bread with a golden crust and the signature dimples, topped with a generous vibrant mixture of olive oil, wild garlic and a generous pinch of ground black pepper, what a treat this is! It's the perfect bread of Spring grazing, sharing or simply enjoying it dipped in olive oil.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Proofing Time2 30

Total Time3 5

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: International

Servings: bread

Calories: 1829kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

For the topping

25 g wild garlic (1 oz)
30 ml extra virgin olive oil (1 oz)
30 ml cold water (1 oz)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the bread

350 g white strong bread flour (12 oz)
200 ml warm water (7 oz)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon dried fast-action yeast
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

To make the topping, add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blitz to a chunky texture.
To make the bread, sift the flour in a large mixing bowl, add the yeast, salt, warm water and olive oil, and knead well until you get a smooth, slightly sticky dough that springs back - add more flour if necessary.
Shape the dough into a ball, brush it with olive oil, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and prove in a warm place for 2 hours or until it doubles its size.
Flour or oil a rectangle baking tray ( mine is 30 x 22 x 5 cm / 12 x 9 x 2 inches), and use your hands to gently stretch the dough to fit onto the baking tray.
Prove it again for 30 minutes, then use a finger to poke several holes in the dough.
Spread the wild garlic mixture over the top, and bake in the preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius (430 Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes.

Video

Notes

To achieve the best results, you must prove the dough in a warm place, not only it speeds up the proving time, but it also helps rise well enough for a light and airy bread.
I usually turn the oven on on the lowest possible temperature for 5-10 minutes, switch it off, then prove the dough in there. Make sure the oven doesn't get too hot, as the dough will flatten rather than rise.
If the dough proves in a cold place, you will have to wait for a long longer for it to double its size, and most of the times, the yeast simply doesn't activate. An underproof dough will be tough and flat.
Make sure your yeast is still active, if you are unsure, add the warm water to a jug, add the yeast and a tablespoon of flour and one of sugar, give it a stir, and set it aside for 10-15 minutes - if the mixture is frothy, the yeast is good to use
Then simply add the mixture to the sifted flour, add the oil and knead

Nutrition