Blackberry And Goats Cheese Focaccia
The majority of my recipes follow a deliciously sweet theme but this week I was craving all the savoury! I was inspired by Simple Things Magazine and their article on blackberries last month as we really enjoy foraging for these juicy berries from Autumn to September as a family. All along the hedgerow on the school run are masses of them.
My husband is also a huge savoury bake fan so I wanted to create something that would appeal to him too. The sweet blackberries pair really well with the smooth goats cheese and zingy marinated red onion. Add the rosemary and honey and you have so many levels of flavour!
If you’ve never baked bread before this is a great recipe to start with. And if you have a stand mixer all the better! Fit your dough hook and away you go. If you’re kneading by hand though it’s also a great first bake (and an excellent work out!). Once the dough is ready to prove place it in an oiled bowl capable of containing the bread once it has doubled in size. Cover the top of the bowl with oiled cling film too and this will help massively when removing. Airing cupboards make great warm spots to help with the proving but a sunny windowsill is also helpful in the months when the radiators aren’t on!
When shaping the dough after the final prove, aim for an oval shape, distinctive of focaccia bread. Pitting the bread with your fingers will allow the honey and other toppings to pool in them and are great for stuffing with rosemary springs.
Blackberry and Goat's Cheese Focaccia
Author Ella Nurse | Date 30/09/2019
prep time: 3 hours 30 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
Focaccia
500g strong white bread flour
7g fast acting yeast (1 sachet)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp honey (around 12g) for the focaccia
400-450ml water
1 tbsp olive oil
Topping
50g blackberries
50g goat's cheese
1 sprig of rosemary
1/4 large red onion
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey for drizzling
Instructions:
Add the flour, yeast, salt, honey and 300ml water to a stand mixer with a dough hook attached and knead for 10 minutes
Keep adding small amounts of water during this time when necessary until a dough is formed
Lightly oil a large bowl and enough cling film to cover the top; set aside
Remove the dough from the mixer and place in the oiled bowl then cover with the cling film
Allow to prove in a warm location for 2 hours or until doubled in size
Whilst the dough is proving place the thinly sliced onion into a bowl with the red wine vinegar, set aside and allow to marinate
Return the dough to the mixer once the first prove is complete and knock back for a couple of minutes then place once again in to the proving bowl
Cover and prove for a further 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size
Place the risen dough onto a pizza stone or lightly floured baking tray and gently shape
Use your fingers to add distinctive pits into the dough
Place all the toppings, apart from the honey, on top of the dough and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until a light golden colour
Once baked, remove from the oven and drizzle with honey
Serve immediately
