Ingredients
15g fresh yeast
500gr strong white flour
10g salt
50g extra virgin olive oil
300ml tepid water
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Rock salt for sprinkling
Springs of rosemary
Method
- Put the flour into a bowl and rub in the fresh yeast. Add the salt, oil and water and mix well with a plastic scraper or your hands. When most of the liquid is incorporated, use your hands ot bring all the ingredients together, into a ball of dough (at this stage do not be tempted to add extra flour, even if the dough looks wet).
- Tip it out on the table and work the dough by pulling and stretching it for at least 10 minutes. Try to get as much air into it as possible. Put the ball of worked dough into a well oiled bowl to rest for an hour. Cover with a little more oil and then a tea towel, in a non-draughty, warm spot.
- After an hour, put the dough into the fridge overnight and use the following day if you're not ready to use straight away. Leaving it overnight will improve the crust and flavour, giving the bread a slightly acidic flavour.
- The next stage is to slide the dough onto a baking sheet or roasting dish. Very gently use your fingertips to make some indentations in the dough and to flatten each piece into an oval, measuring about 3 centimetres thick. Now add your choice of toppings, but not any more oil or salt. So, press in the olives, tuck in the rosemary or push in the onion rings.
- Leave the dough to rise again to about half as much again. Usually about 30-40 minutes in a warm, draught free space, covered with a tea towel loosely over it. If you don't want the towel to touch the dough, then suspend a cooling rack over the dough tray on two upturned mugs. Then put the towel over that so that it stops a draught, but covers the dough.
- When it has risen, use your fingertips gently again to put more indentations into the dough. Fill with olive oil and sprinkle with rock salt. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for about 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown.