Black olive and lemon focaccia with med herbs sea salt

Focaccia dough is flavoured with olive oil. This recipe is a perfect balance of rich, salty and sweet from the caramelised lemon, you’ll want to eat it with everything.

Ingredients

• 525 g strong bread flour type 00
• 1 sachet yeast 7g
• 1 tsp Neolea med herbs sea salt, plus extra for the top
• 4 tbsp Neolea extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 375-400 ml luke warm water
• 125g good quality Greek black olives, unpitted
• ½ bio lemon, very thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp honey

Baking Supplies

• Baking dish 25 x 35 cm
• Baking paper

Instructions

• Place the flour, yeast and salt into a large bowl. Add the olive oil and 300 ml of the water to a measuring jug and add to the bowl. Bring everything together with your hand until you form a shaggy dough. Gradually add the remaining water whilst kneading to form a smooth dough.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, stretching the dough out and folding the sides into the centre. Turn the dough 90 degrees after each fold and repeat this process. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
• Once the dough has risen, knead the olives in until they are evenly dispersed and transfer it into your lined and oiled baking dish, pressing it into all the corners. Cover with a large plastic bag, making sure it doesn’t touch the top of the dough and leave to rise for 1.5 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 220 C. Press your fingers into the dough to make the traditional indentations. Add the slices of lemon to the top of the focaccia, drizzling a little honey over them. Drizzle the whole thing with a little more oil and sprinkle with a little extra salt. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Keep an eye on it to make sure the lemons are not browning too quickly. If so, reduce the temperature to 200 C.Serve in thick slices with plenty of olive oil for dipping.