Potato Focaccia Pugliese

Preparation time: 30 minute + 2 hours resting time; Baking time: 25-30 minutes Makes: 8 slices

Ingredients

• 350g (12oz, 2 ¾ cups) strong bread flour (you can use all-purpose)
• 5ml (½ teaspoon) salt
• 5ml (1 teaspoon) sugar
• 5ml (1 teaspoon) Fleischmann’s instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 250ml (I cup) warm water (if using cup measures for flour, you may need ¼ cup more)

Ingredients For topping:

• 30ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
• 2 small potatoes thinly sliced, boiled for two minutes, drained and cooled
• 1-2 teaspoons sea salt
• A sprig of fresh rosemary or teaspoon of dried rosemary
• A good grinding of black pepper

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment and sprinkle a little corn flour on it. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°c), 10 minutes before using. .
2. Sift the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour the olive oil and water into the well and mix into a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10 minutes until elastic. (if using electric dough hook knead for 5 minutes).
3. Form into a ball and cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4. Knock back dough and roll or stretch into a 10-11 inch circle and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush liberally with olive oil and make deep dimples, all over the surface, using your fingertips. Arrange potatoes on top , brush potatoes with olive oil cover with cling film or plastic bag  and let rise for 1 hour.
5. Sprinkle sea salt and rosemary and give a good grinding of pepper and bake in the centre of the for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Turn out on a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm

Points to Note:

1. Please note that oven temperatures are given as a guideline only. You may need to add or reduce the suggested temperature depending on your oven. I baked the Focaccia at 425°F (220°C) for 25 minutes.
2. For cup measures: spoon the flour into the cup, heaping it up over the top, then slide a knife across the top to level off the extra. Be careful not to shake or tap the cup to settle down the flour or you will have more than you need..

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