Tomato Focaccia Bread

Traditional Italian sun dried tomato bread.

Step: 1

Place sun dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Cover with warm water and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain, chop and set aside.

Step: 2

In a large bowl, sift together flour and salt; stir in yeast. Add olive oil, warm water, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes; mix well. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover dough and let relax for 10 minutes.

Step: 3

Roll dough into a rectangle approximately 7x11 inches. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and make about 20 deep impressions in the dough with your fingers. Cover with plastic and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

Step: 4

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Step: 5

Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, basil, and thyme. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Per Serving: 95 calories; protein 0.4g; carbohydrates 0.9g; fat 10.2g; sodium 561mg.

The quality of the flour could make a real difference to your bread. Different brands do vary. Extra-strong or Canadian flours, which are bet higher in gluten, may give you a better rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal dough , which not always getting bigger as well as white bread.

To made this in a dough , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A dough’s first rising can be done in the fridge 24 hours . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great timesaver , as you can work it yesterday , then finish it off the next day.