Making the dough
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Method (continued)
Grease or line a baking sheet, round or rectangular is fine.
Tip the dough out onto a floured worktop and fold and knead gently this time for just a minute or so to degas the dough. You don't need to overwork it now, light handling will suffice.
Form the dough into a round or rectangle as you prefer, flatten with your hands (or lightly with a rolling pin) so that it is about 2cm deep and place on the baking sheet.
Cover once again and leave until it has risen again - approx 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to Fan 190C/Gas Mark 5. (I prefer to cook my Focaccia Dolce just slightly cooler than other breads because of the sugar topping).
To finish, gently smear or brush the top with the olive oil. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top, (a fine mesh tea strainer helps with this) before finally scattering the caster sugar all over, using less if preferred.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked and golden brown, reducing the heat slightly after 15 minutes if it's browning too quickly.
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Featured Recipe
I was recently asked to supply a recipe for ‘Focaccia Dolce’ for publication in the Taste Italia Food Magazine.
Focaccia Dolce is a wonderful sweet tasting bread popular in northwest Italy and less well known in the UK, as we're more familiar with the traditional savoury versions with herbs, cheese or olives.
There are many variations but this is my favourite recipe using raisins and cinnamon and liberal amounts of sugar - well it is a sweet bread! If you have time soak the raisins in Marsala for a couple of hours/overnight so they absorb the lovely flavour of the wine and plump up.
It's easy enough to make and this recipe gives enough for one large or 2 smaller loaves.
Ingrediants for the dough
- 500g Strong white bread flour (Ideally Italian 00 flour)
- 1 Sachet of easy blend yeast
- 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt
- 50g caster sugar
- 50g melted butter
- 100g of raisins (leave to soak for a couple of hours in 2 tbsp of Marsala if you have the time)
- 1tsp of cinnamon
- Approx 320 to 350ml of lukewarm water
Ingrediants for the dough topping
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 2tbsp of olive oil
Method
In a large bowl place all the dough ingredients apart from the melted butter and the water and mix together using a large spoon.
Add the melted butter and then slowly add about 300ml of the water stirring well before adding a little more. Check with your fingers to see if the mixture needs all or more of the water. You want a soft but not overly wet or sticky dough.
Once the dough has come together into a lump tip it onto a floured worktop and knead for 6-8 minutes until you have a smooth and silky dough.
Place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover either with cling film or a clean tea towel and set aside to prove and rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours until it has doubled in size.