Host an intimate Garden Day celebration and break bread with close family and friends. Food photographer and stylist Angelique Booysens (@theGoodRoots) is all about cooking healthy dishes with sustainable ingredients, ideally straight from your garden. Forage herbs and other edible plants from your green space to create this tasty work of art.

Angelique’s homemade focaccia bread is not only hearty and delicious but also exceptionally versatile. Wrap this Italian staple in a tea towel and serve up a picnic snack that looks as good as it tastes, or wow your guests at lunch with this perfect side for a crisp green salad. There is no end to the ways you can enjoy this focaccia.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups & 2 tbsps cake/ bread flour
  • 2 tsps dry active yeast
  • 1 ½ cups lukewarm water
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 5 tbsps olive oil
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt

Garnish options to make it your own

  • rosa or sundried tomatoes
  • peppadews
  • thyme
  • chives
  • rosemary
  • capers
  • dill
  • olives

Method

1.   Pour the water in a bowl and sprinkle in the yeast, followed by the sugar. Gently stir and set aside for 10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble.

2.   Add the flour, olive oil, and salt. Mix the dough with your hands or the paddle attachment on your mixer for 5 minutes. The dough should be sticky to the touch.

3.   Turn the dough out onto a clean surface dusted with flour. Stretch and fold the dough a few times to create air pockets. The dough should now be soft, smooth, and slightly less sticky to the touch.

4.   Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Set aside for 1 hour or overnight to rise and double in size.

5.   Preheat the oven to 220°C. Drizzle olive oil onto a baking tray and scoop the dough into the tray. Stretch the dough until it reaches the sides and more or less fits the tray.

6.   Poke holes in the dough with your fingers and drizzle it with olive oil and coarse sea salt.

7.   Use your favourite combination of garnish options to create your own garden scape on the surface. Lightly press any ingredients into the dough to stay put.

8.   Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

9.   Enjoy as an appetizer, side dish, or a pizza base.

 

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