The Best Focaccia Bread you'll ever taste

It's national bread week and so I thought I would share with you my favourite bread recipe...focaccia! A lot of shop bought versions are heavy and dry which is the complete opposite to what focaccia should be....it should almost melt in the mouth and be very light. Here is the perfect recipe for focaccia, once you've tried this recipe you certainly won't eat shop bought again :)

Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia

This recipe produces quite a wet sticky dough and although it can be done by hand, it is a lot easier with a stand mixer. Of course if you choose to do it by hand the best way to work with a wet sticky dough is to oil the work surface and also your hands, makes handling the dough much easier, a lot easier than with flour...trust me :))

500g/1lb 2oz strong white bread flour
10g salt
10g fast action yeast yeast
100ml olive oil
40ml garlic olive oil
1-2 tbsp dried or fresh rosemary
360ml tepid water
olive oil, for drizzling
Salt to season

Place the flour, salt, yeast, rosemary and olive oil into a bowl (make sure you put the yeast on one side and salt on the other). Add in three quarters of the water and mix, then add in the rest of the water until you get a sticky dough. Knead for about 5-10 minutes.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size.
Line two large baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Tip the dough out onto an oiled work surface making sure not to knock back the dough, handle carefully and divide into two portions and place onto each baking sheet, cover with oiled cling film and then leave to prove for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200c. Drizzle the loaves with oil, sprinkle with fine sea salt then bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden in colour.

Adapted from a Paul Hollywood recipe