Sophie Grigson's Focacia a Libro
Ingredients
To Form:
Method
Step 1
Mix the two flours, then make a well in the centre. Spoon in the olive oil and a big slurp of tepid water. Add the yeast and cream into the liquids with your fingers. Now add enough warm water to form a soft dough.
Step 2
Knead for a good 10 minutes, dusting with flour as needed, until the dough is silky smooth and elastic. Prod it with the tip of your finger. If the dough springs back, then it is ready.
Step 3
If the indent stays deep and unmoving, knead for a little longer. Form into a ball. Put a tablespoon of oil in the bowl, turn the dough in it so that it is entirely coated, then cover the bowl with cling film, or a plastic bag or a damp cloth wrung out hard to get rid of excess water. Leave in a warm place until doubled in bulk.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 225C/200 Fan/Gas Mark 7. Grease a 20-22 cm cake tin with olive oil. Knock the dough back and knead for a minute or two to smooth out air bubbles.
Step 5
Now roll the dough out as thinly as you can on a lightly floured work surface – you’re aiming for a rough circle of 45cm in diameter or a little bigger if possible. Persevere. The dough will spring back again and again but you will get there eventually.
Step 6
Brush the dough generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with oregano. Fold in half, then brush the upper side of the dough with more olive oil and sprinkle with more oregano. Fold in half again, in the same direction, to form a long thin rectangle. Repeat the oiling and oregano-ing, then fold in half once more time.
Step 7
Now you should have an even thinner, long rectangle in front of you. One of the long sides will be smooth dough, the other will layered. Brush with a little more olive oil and oregano, then roll it up loosely. Transfer to the cake tin, setting smooth side downwards, the layered side upwards. Gently spread your spiral of dough out a little so that the layers have room to expand and fill the tin. Cover loosely again and set aside for 1-2 hours until it fills the tin.
Step 8
Bake for 25 minutes until browned. Turn out of the tin and tap the bottom. If it is cooked it will sound hollow. Leave to cool on a wire rack before tearing into it.
