Roasted Tomato Focaccia
Instructions
Make up your basic bread recipe and allow to proof for 40 minutes. While it's proofing, prick your tomatoes with a knife and drop them into boiling water for around 30 seconds. Drain, cool them under cold water, and remove the skins, keeping them whole if possible, as they're nice and small. Put the tomatoes in a bowl, cover with the olive oil and put to1 side. I usually make 1 large focaccia but you can make 2 smaller ones if you like.
Take your proofed dough and bash the air out, then put it on a floured surface and roll it out about 1-inch (2.5 centimeters) thick. Transfer it to a floured baking tray and push the dough to fill the tray. Pour over the olive oil and tomatoes and sprinkle over the basil. Push your fingers to the bottom of the tray across the whole dough, using them like a poker, pushing them through the dough and then flattening them out when you hit the tin. This gives the bread its classic shape and makes indentations so you get little pools of oil while it's cooking. Leave to proof until it has doubled in size again then sprinkle with salt and pepper and carefully place into a preheated oven at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C/gas 7). Cook for around 20 minutes, until the bread is crisp and golden on top and soft in the middle. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil when you take it out of the oven.
