Live Below the Line - Day two

Welcome to my blog. This is my second day of Live Below the Line challenge, and everything goes well. Let me just quickly remind what this campaign is about.

The campaign is asking the public to cut their spending on food at drink to just £1 per day for 5 days.

The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on the equivalent of £1 here in the UK.

Live Below the Line is a challenge for people to eat and drink on the same amount as those living in extreme poverty.

While taking on this challenge, they will raise money for charities working to end poverty.

You can join the challenge by registering at www.livebelowtheline.com/uk.

Day 2, I still have some pizza dough left from yesterday, yay!

Another pizza day today, no bad at all. Well, I cannot use tomato and mozzarella, but that's fine, I can survive.
In my previous post, I have published a recipe for pizza dough. For today's lunch, I am going to use the dough left from yesterday.

For breakfast (£0.093) I had the usual:

• A cup of black coffee (£0.09)
• Sugar, 3g (£0.003)

LUNCH - Pizza Bianca with Black Olives, £0.43

Pizza Bianca with Black Olives, £0.43

Like yesterday, let me tell you that you will not be able to finish this pizza, as it's quite a lot. However you can save a piece for dinner and maybe share some with your family, if you like.

Ingredients

• Half the pizza dough you have prepared yesterday (£0.179)
• Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp (£0.11)
• Black olives, 20g (£0.140)
• Salt (£0.01)

Instructions

Remove the pizza dough from the fridge (at least 2 hours before cooking).
Preheat the oven to the maximum (230-250 °C).

Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. 

Pat your dough down, paying attention not to press down the air bubbles, which are the result of a long fermentation. Transfer onto the baking tray. Sprinkle with the sliced olives, pressing down gently, and brush with 1tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden.

As mentioned, this meal was quite filling, so far I really cannot complain.

DINNER - Egg and Potato Salad, £0.42

Egg and Potato Salad, £0.42

Ingredients

• 1 free-range egg (£0.20)
• 1 small potato, 150g (£0.10)
• Red kidney beans, 50g (from the tin I opened yesterday) (£0.05)
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1tbsp (£0.056)
• Salt and pepper (£0.02)

Instructions

Put the egg in a small pan. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. When it starts boiling, put a timer on for about 7 minutes (or less if you don't like it hard-boiled).
Wash the potato under cold water. Transfer to a pan, cover with cold water and half teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil. Cook until tender, remove from the water and let it cool a bit. Remove the skin and cut in small pieces. Add the sliced egg, the red kidney beans, the olive oil, salt and pepper to your taste.

After dinner thoughts

Today's lunch was OK, I love pizza with olives. Dinner was also OK, but certainly not my favorite dish! In terms of quantity, dinner was just about right, not a lot, also a bit dry because I could use only 1 tbsp of oil oil. However I had a piece of pizza left from lunch, so I am not feeling hungry to be honest..  Looking forward to tomorrow's challenge! 

----------

Let's try helping beating poverty, either:

• Joining the Live Below the Line campaign,
• or, donate for me! or for anyone else. To donate for me, please follow this link.

You can join the challenge by registering at www.livebelowtheline.com/uk.

----------

From 7th to 11th May, join Live Below the Line living on £1 a day for 5 days to change the way people in the UK think about extreme poverty - and make a huge difference.

https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk 

Live Below the Line - Day one (flour, water and yeast can make wonders)

Some days ago I published a post about Live Below the Line and my intention to take on the challenge. 

The campaign is asking the public to cut their spending on food at drink to just £1 per day for 5 days.

The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on the equivalent of £1 here in the UK.

Live Below the Line is a challenge for people to eat and drink on the same amount as those living in extreme poverty.

While taking on this challenge, they will raise money for charities working to end poverty.

You can join the challenge by registering at www.livebelowtheline.com/uk.

Day 1, the challenge begins!

OK, before you read this post and see the pictures, let me tell you that I felt very lucky. Why? First of all because I have a shelter and secondly because I can bake, so with little ingredients and little money (£1!), you can cook something nice and filling.


The day before the challenge (at 1 PM) I started preparing the dough that I used to prepare the pizza for day 1 and 2.


'Almost' no-knead pizza dough (£0.35)


Ingredients

• Sainsbury's strong white bread flour, 400g (£0.272)
• Dried active yeast, 4g (£0.020)
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1tbsp (£0.056)
• Salt, 1.5tsp (£0.01)
• Water (at room temperature), 300g
• Time and patience!

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except the salt and mix for 1-2 minutes. Add the salt and mix for further 2-3 minutes. The mixture is quite fluid and sticky, but don't worry, use one hand for mixing and the other one to hold the bowl. Cover with a plastic bag and leave at room temperature for about an hour. Now transfer to the fridge (in the vegetable drawer) and leave it there until the day after.

The day after, at around 10 AM, remove the dough from the fridge. Brush some water onto the work surface - the water will prevent the dough from sticking to the surface. Turn out the dough onto the work surface and fold it: take the right side, stretch it out and fold it onto the middle of the dough. Repeat for the left side:

Turn out onto work surface

Take the right side and fold to the center

Repeat for the left side

Put back into your bowl, cover with the same plastic bag and leave at room temperature for a couple of hours. After this time the dough is ready to be used, and looks like this:

OK, it's nearly lunch time, I am going to make a simple pizza bianca, with no tomato sauce and mozzarella, as my budget for the day is just £1!

Whoops, forgot to tell you what I had for breakfast (£0.093):

• A cup of black coffee (£0.09)
• Sugar, 3g (£0.003)

LUNCH - Pizza Bianca with Rosemary, £0.37!

First of all, let me tell you that you will not be able to finish this pizza, as it's quite a lot. However you can save a piece for dinner and maybe share some with your family, if you like.

Ingredients

• Half the pizza dough you have prepared (£0.179)
• Extra virgin olive oil, 3tbsp (£0.168)
• A bunch of rosemary from my garden (let's say £0.02)
• Salt (£0.01)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to the maximum (230-250 °C).

Turn out the dough onto your lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough in half. Transfer one half back onto the same bowl, cover with the same plastic bag and transfer to the fridge. You will use this dough tomorrow! Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Pat your dough down onto the floured work surface, paying attention not to press down the air bubbles, which are the result of a long fermentation. Transfer onto the baking tray. Brush with 2tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and rosemary.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden.

As mentioned, this meal was quite filling, so far I really cannot complain.

DINNER - Red Kidney Bean Soup, £0.53

Red Kidney Bean Soup, £0.53

Ingredients

• Sainsbury's Basic Red Kidney Beans in water, 180g (drained) (£0.19)
• Half a carrot, 80g (£0.064)
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1tbs (£0.056)
• Pasta, 40g (£0.04)
• A beef stock cube (£0.17)
• Salt and pepper (0.01)
• Water, 650ml

Instructions

Roughly chop half a carrot. In a small pan, bring the water to the boil and add a beef stock cube. In another pan, on a medium heat, heat a tbsp of olive oil. Add the chopped carrot and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the drained beans (I reserved £50g, and transfered to the fridge as I will need them tomorrow for dinner) and the vegetable stock and cook for about 15 minutes. Add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta you are using (check the cooking time on the package). Season with salt and pepper to your taste, and serve.

After dinner thoughts

Today I spent £0.98 and learnt that you can feed yourself with less than £1 a day, without starving. Obviously, I could not eat whatever I like - I.e. I would have normally used different and more ingredients. Also I had to plan my meals very carefully, which I have never done before. I always try to save money when I buy food, without compromising on 

quality. However making a soup with such a low budget was a challenge indeed, but I have to say that I don't feel hungry.  

----------

Let's try helping beating poverty, either:

• Joining the Live Below the Line campaign,
• or, donate for me! or for anyone else. To donate for me, please follow this link.

You can join the challenge by registering at www.livebelowtheline.com/uk.

----------

From 7th to 11th May, join Live Below the Line living on £1 a day for 5 days to change the way people in the UK think about extreme poverty - and make a huge difference.

https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk 

Pizza Bianca Roman Style, Gabriele Bonci’s Recipe

Gabriele Bonci is the owner (and chef) of a famous Roman Pizzeria al taglio (Pizzarium, Via della Meloria, 43, Rome). This is his recipe for Pizza Bianca (Roman style), which you can top with anything you like - I made it simple and topped it with fresh rosemary and rock salt.
I tried this recipe several times, and re-adapted it slightly, so the ingredients are the ones suggested by Gabriele Bonci, but the method is slightly different. Enjoy!

Per leggere la ricetta in Italiano andare al fondo del Post

Ingredients

• Strong White Flour, 500g
• Water, 400g
• Dried Yeast, 3.5g
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 2 tbs
• Salt, 10g
• Some Semolina Flour

For the Topping:

• Rock Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Fresh Rosemary

Method

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the salt.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 15 minutes (you can obviously use a kitchen mixer instead).
The mixture is quite fluid and sticky, so I used Richard Bertinet kneading technique (stretching the dough and slapping it down very energetically, incorporating a lot of air inside - by the way you can refer to this video http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/03/bertinet_sweetdough, which explains how to knead sweet dough, but the same method can be applied to bread or pizza dough).
Add the salt and work for further 2-3 minutes.
Form the dough into a bowl, transfer to your mixing ball (oiled with some extra virgin olive oil), cover with cling film and leave to rest for an hour.
Brush some water onto your work surface (the water will prevent the dough - which is quite fluid - from sticking to the surface). Turn out the dough onto the work surface and fold it: take the right side, stretch it out and fold it onto the middle of the dough. Repeat for the left side:



Put back into your bowl, cover with cling film and transfer to the fridge (in the vegetable drawer) for 24 hours.
After 24 hours your dough is ready to be used:



In order to incorporate more air into the dough, and to achieve best results, I usually repeat the folding technique 2 or 3 times before baking, at hourly intervals.
Preheat the oven to 250°C.
Remove from the fridge and leave for at least 1 hour before continuing to the next steps. Turn out the dough onto your lightly floured work surface and cut into pieces. Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle some fine semolina flour onto your baking trays and onto the work surface. Pat the dough out onto the work surface, paying attention not to press down the lovely air bubbles (the result of a long fermentation). Transfer the dough onto the baking trays.
Brush some extra virgin olive oil on to the top of the dough and sprinkle with rock salt and fresh rosemary.
Bake in a preheated oven to 250ºC for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden.
For more information, please see this video - sorry, it’s in Italian! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDO_m7S-Pr4.


Pizza Bianca Romana, Ricetta di Gabriele Bonci, leggermente adattata da me

Questa e’ la ricetta di Gabriele Bonci che io ho riadattato leggermente ai miei gusti. Il risultato e’ ottimo, l’alveolatura magnifica, sembra proprio di mangiare la pizza bianca romana - che a me, da buona emigrata, manca tantissimo!

Ingredienti

• Farina Bianca Forte, 500g
• Acqua, 400g
• Lievito Secco (Disidratato), 3.5g
• Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva, 2 tbs
• Sale, 10g
• Un po’ di Farina di Grano Duro

Per la copertura:

• Sale grosso, Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva, Rosmarino Fresco

Procedimento

In un recipiente piuttosto capiente mescolare tutti gli ingredienti tranne il sale.
Rovesciare la pasta sul piano di lavoro e lavorare per almeno 15 minuti (io uso il metodo del mio ‘amatissimo’ Richard Bertinet, vedi video http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/video/2008/03/bertinet_sweetdough). Essendo la pasta molto fluida ed appiccicaticcia, il metodo Bertinet e’ ideale secondo me.
Ovviamente, se si ha a disposizione, si puo’ usare un’impastatrice.
Aggiungere il sale e lavorare per ulteriori 2-3 minuti.
Formare una palla - non sara’ facile, la pasta e’ molto appicicosa, ma non vi scoraggiate! - e trasferire nella ciotola che nel frattempo avrete unto con un po’ di olio di oliva. Coprire con della pellicola da cucina, e lasciar riposare per un’oretta.
Bagnare la superficie di lavoro (se di marmo o pietra) con un po’ d’acqua (l’acqua evitera’ che la pasta si attacchi, strano ma vero!). Rovesciarvi la pasta, e procedere alla piegatura - vedi foto:



Trasferire di nuovo la pasta nella ciotola, coprire e trasferire in frigo (nella parte piu’ bassa) per 24 ore - io la metto nel cestino delle verdure.
Dopo 24 ore la pasta sara’ leggerissima e piena di bolle:



Per poter incorporare piu’ aria possibile, io piego la pasta altre 2 o 3 volte (stesso metodo di cui sopra), prima della cottura. Ad esempio, se inforno la pizza alle 12, effetto 3 ulteriori pieghe: alle 9, alle 10 e alle 11.
Scaldare il forno a 250°C.
Rimuovere dal frigo e lasciare riposare la pasta per almeno un'ora prima di passare agli steps seguenti. Rovesciare la pasta sulla superficie di lavoro e tagliare in 2 o 3 pezzi, a seconda di quanto grandi o alte volete fare le focacce. Coprire con la pellicola e lasciare riposare per 15 minuti.
Adesso spolverate abbondantemente la superficie di lavoro con del semolino fine. Stendere la pizza facendo attenzione a non sgonfiare le bolle d’aria che si sono formate durante la lievitazione. Trasferire in una teglia che avrete gia’ spolverato con dell’altra semolina e finire di aggiustare la pasta.
Condire con olio d’oliva, sale grosso e rosmarino (o qualsiasi altra cosa preferiate) ed infornare. Cuocere per i primi 8 minuti nella parte piu’ bassa del forno - in quanto la piza necessita di una bella spinta verso l’alto - e a meta’ del forno per il tempo rimanente.
Ecco comunque il video del grande Gabriele: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDO_m7S-Pr4.
Ripeto, io ho apportato delle modifiche al procedimento - la tecnica di lavorazione e delle pieghe aggiuntive che secondo me fanno veramente la differenza!

Focaccia Barese

A great recipe from the Apulian chef Palma D’Onofrio.
The mushed potatoes give this focaccia a nice, sweet flavour.
Focaccia is present in many variants in Italy itself. This one is from Bari. Enjoy!

Per leggere la ricetta in Italiano andare al fondo del Post
Ingredients

• Flour 00, 200g
• Fine Semolina Flour, 100g
• Potatoes, 250g (Boiled and mashed & weighted after cooking)
• Fresh yeast, 13g
• Lukewarm water, 250g
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 50g
• Pinch of Sugar
• Cherry Tomatoes, approx. 20
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Rock Salt

Method

Dissolve the yeast in some lukewarm water (taken from the 250g) and whisk thoroughly. Pour the yeast mixture into a bowl, add 00 flour, semolina flour, mashed potatoes (still warm), a pinch of sugar and olive oil.

Start mixing the ingredients together, and work the dough for 10-15 minutes.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for an hour.

Oil a round baking tin with olive oil and pat the dough out onto the tin. Using your fingers make some holes on the dough surface, and insert the cherry tomatoes - cut in halves - nicely into the holes.

Brush with a mixture of warm water and olive oil and sprinkle with rock salt.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it doubled in size.

Bake the focaccia in a preheated oven to 220ºC for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.


Focaccia Barese di Palma D’Onofrio

Ingredienti

• Farina 00, 200g
• Farina di Semola, 100g
• Patate lesse, 250g (pesate dopo cotte)
• Lievito di birra, 13g
• Acqua tiepida, 250g
• Olio extra vergine di oliva, 50g
• 1 pizzico di zucchero
• Pomodorini, circa 20
• Olio extravergine di oliva per condire
• Sale grosso

Procedimento

Bollire e schiacciare le patate.

In una ciotola amalgamare: le farine, le patatate schiacciate ancora tiepide, lo zucchero, l’olio ed il lievito sciolto in un po’ d’acqua tiepida.

Lavorare l’impasto, riporlo nella ciotola e coprire con della pellicola alimentare trasparente. Lasciare lievitare per almeno un’ora.

Trasferire l’impasto in una teglia ben oleata e fare pressione con le dita sulla superficie della pasta per ottenere dei buchi. Tagliare i pomodorini a meta’ e disporli nei buchi.

Preparare un’emulsione con acqua e olio. Versarla sulla focaccia e cospargerla con del sale grosso.

Coprire di nuovo con la pellicola trasparente, far lievitare una seconda volta fino al raddoppio del volume ed infornare a forno caldo (circa 220°) per circa mezz'ora.

Semi-Sweet Bread Rolls (sorelle Simili recipe) - Panini Semidolci delle sorelle Simili

I’m back. Summer is almost over, so I decided that I should treat myself and my friends with these semi-sweet mini rolls from heaven. First of all, you need to know that you cannot go wrong with Simili Sisters recipes - if you want to know who they are, please have look here: http://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/21/dining/in-a-land-of-plenty-twins-teach-simplicity.html?pagewanted=all.
These mini rolls are great to serve with salami, ham, cheese.. anything you like, even chocolate!
I worked the dough by hand (a real workout!) as suggested by the two sisters, but it was definitely worth it.

Ingredients

• Plain Flour, 1Kg (my mix: 30% very strong flour and 70% Italian ’00’ flour)
• Water, approx. 400g
• Fresh Yeast, 40g
• Butter, 150g
• Lard, 50g
• Salt, 15g
• Sugar, 100g
• Egg, 1 (for brushing)

Method

In a jug, dissolve the fresh yeast in 150g of warm water.

Mix the yeast mixture with the rest of the ingredients: sugar, remaining water (250g), liquified butter and lard, flour and salt - remember to add the salt as the last ingredient. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead energically for at least 15-20 minutes.

When the dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume (approximately one hour and a half, depending on room temperature).

Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto the work surface and cut into little balls, weighting approximately 35 grams each. Work each dough ball into a round shape (or the shape you prefer) and place onto a lightly greased baking tray. Brush with a beaten egg and leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour.

Brush the dough balls again with the beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds - or leave them plain. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes in a preheated oven to 180ºC or until the top of the bread rolls is lightly golden.

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Tips

• Never mix directly salt and yeast, as salt inhibits yeast growth
• The amount of water required may vary depending on flour type and humidity

Panini Semidolci delle Sorelle Simili

Ingredienti

• Farina, 1Kg (ho usato: 30% Manitoba e 70% ’00’)
• Acqua, approx. 400g
• Lievito Fresco, 40g
• Burro, 150g
• Strutto, 50g
• Sale, 15g
• Zucchero, 100g
• 1 uovo (per spennellare i paini)

Procedimento

Sciogliere il lievito in 150g di acqua tiepida.

In una ciotola unire tutti gli ingredienti (lo zucchero, l’acqua rimanente 250g, il burro e lo strutto liquefatti, la farina ed il sale - il sale va aggiunto sempre come ultimo ingrediente).

Rovesciare sulla superficie di lavoro e lavorare molto energicamente per almeno 15-20 minuti. La Simili suggeriscono di ‘battere’ la pasta sulla superficie di lavoro diverse volte, in modo da renderla elastica.

Finito di lavorare la pasta, disporla in un contenitore capiente, coprire con pellicola trasparente e far lievitare fino al raddoppio (un’ora e mezza circa, a seconda della temperatura, stagione, etc.).

Trascorso questo tempo, rovesciare la pasta sul piano di lavoro e formare delle palline di pasta di circa 35 grammi ciascuna (ovviamente vi potete sbizzarrire con altre forme, tipo piccolo sfilatino, croissant, etc.). Spennellare con l’uovo sbattuto e mettere di nuovo a lievitare in un posto caldo e lontano da correnti per un’ora circa.

Finita la seconda lievitazione, mettere in forno a 180ºC per 10-12 minuti, o fino a che i panini iniziano a dorarsi. Devono risultare morbidi, e leggermente croccanti in superficie.

Siccome mi servivano per un buffet e avevo bisogno di prepararli anzitempo, appena freddi li ho congelati. Il giorno del buffet li ho scongelati a temperatura ambiente per un’oretta e reinfornati per 5-7 minuti. Sembravano appena fatti!

Mini Pizza Canapés - Pizzette di Pasta Sfoglia

Ideal to be served as party canapés or with a nice glass of wine to welcome your guests. You can prepare this a few hours in advance, keep it in the fridge and transfer to the oven when the guests arrive. Happy summer!

Ingredients

• Ready rolled Puff Pastry (2 packs of approx. 375g)
• Thick Tomato Passata
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Unroll a sheet of puff pastry and place on the baking tray. Add the salt to the tomato passata and spread the sauce onto the puff pastry sheet.


Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Line the other puff pastry sheet onto the one with the tomato sauce and press gently. Using a pastry cutter, cut into squares.


Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.


Pizzette di Pasta Sfoglia

Ingredienti

• Pasta sfoglia pronta, 2 confezioni da circa 375g
• Passata di pomodoro densa
• Parmigiano grattugiato
• Sale

Metodo

Preriscaldare il forno a 220°C. Ricoprire una teglia con della carta da forno. Adagiare il primo strato di pasta sfoglia sulla teglia. Salare la passata e cospargerla sulla pasta sfoglia. Spolverizzare con un paio di manciate di parmigiano grattugiato. Ricoprire con l’altro strato di pasta sfoglia premendo leggermente. Tagliare in quadratini e cuocere in forno gia’ caldo per 10-15 minuti

Soft Focaccia Bread with Green Olives and Sundried Tomatoes

Focaccia is quite popular in Italy and is usually seasoned with olive oil and salt. It may also be topped with a number of ingredients - I used Olives and Sundried Tomatoes for this one. No matter what toppings you use, this Italian flat bread is simply divine.
Once cooked you can also cut the Focaccia into squares and serve with your favourite ingredients - Parma Ham, Buffalo Mozzarella, Salame, etc..

Ingredients (Makes two focaccia)
• Plain Flour 500g
• Water 140g
• Milk 150g
• Sugar 1 tsp
• Salt 2 tsp
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Dried Active Yeast 1 level tbsp (15g)
• Olives and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• Rosemary
• Dried Oregano

Method
In a jug, dissolve 1 tsp of sugar in 150g of warm milk. Sprinkle with 15g (1 level tbsp) of yeast and whisk thoroughly. Leave in a warm place until the surface is covered with approx. 2 cm of froth (10-15 mins).
If using a kitchen mixer: Pour the yeast mixture into the kitchen mixer bowl (I use a Kenwood Patissier), add two generous spoons of extra virgin olive oil, the flour, and start mixing the ingredients together, adding the water gradually. Add the salt (which should never be mixed directly with the yeast as it inhibits yeast growth) and mix the dough for about 15 minutes.
By hand: You can knead the dough with your bare hands until the dough is smooth.


Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour and a half.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and cut it into two equal parts. Mix half of the dough with sun-dried tomatoes and the other half with olives.
Oil two baking trays with olive oil (I used one large baking tray instead, please see the pictures) and pat the dough out onto the tray/s so it’s about 1 cm thick. Brush some warm water and extra virgin olive oil on to the top of the dough and sprinkle the sun-dried tomato focaccia with rock salt and dried oregano, and the olive focaccia with rock salt and rosemary.
Let rise for another 30 minutes.
Bake the focaccia in a preheated oven to 200ºC for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Tips
• Never mix directly salt and yeast, as salt inhibits yeast growth
• The amount of water required may vary depending on flour type and humidity



Focaccia con Olive e Pomodori Secchi

Ingredienti (per due focacce)
• Farina 500g
• Acqua 140g
• Latte 150g
• Zucchero 1 cucchiaino raso
• Sale 2 cucchiaini rasi
• Olio Extra Vergine di Oliva
• 2 cucchiani rasi di lievito di birra disidratato sciolti in circa 340 grammi di acqua tiepida
• Olive e Pomodori Secchi
• Rosmarino
• Origano

Preparazione
Sciogliere il lievito e lo zucchero nel latte tiepido e lasciare riposare per 10-15 minuti. Versare quindi nell`impastatrice e aggiungere la farina e 2 cucchiai di olio extra vergine di oliva. Iniziare ad impastare aggiungendo gradatamente l`acqua. Aggiungere il sale e continuare ad impastare per circa 15 minuti, o fino a quando il composto non risulta essere liscio ed elastico.
Se non avete un kitchen mixer potete impastare a mano.
Riversare il composto su un piano di lavoro infarinato e impastare brevemente.
Rimettere la pasta nel contenitore dell`impastatrice, coprire con della pellicola alimentare, e mettere a lievitare in un luogo lontano da correnti e possibilmente riscaldato. Lasciare levitare per circa 45 minuti, o fino a quando la pasta sara` raddoppiata di volume. Riversare il composto sul piano di lavoro e sgonfiare la pasta con le mani dando dei piccoli pugni. Ripiegare il panetto di pasta e riporlo di nuovo a lievitare per circa 30 minuti.
Stendere la pasta in una teglia oleata, bagnare la superficie con un po` d`acqua tiepida. Schiacciare un po` la pasta formando piccolo fossette, cospargere di sale a piacere e olio extra vergine di oliva. Aggiungere rosmarino o olive a seconda dei gusti. Mettere in forno caldo (200°) per circa 15 minuti..

Italian Focaccia

Ingredients
• Plain Flour 400g (I mix 100g of Canadian strong flour with 300g of `00` flour)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Dried Active Yeast 1 level tbsp (15g)
• Water Approx 340g
• Sugar 1 tsp
• Salt
• Rosemary or Olives

Method
In a jug, dissolve 1 tsp of sugar in 340g of warm water. Sprinkle with 15g (1 level tbsp) of yeast and whisk thoroughly. Leave in a warm place until the surface is covered with approx. 2 cm of froth (10-15 mins). . If using a kitchen mixer: Pour the yeast mixture into the kitchen mixer bowl (I use a Kenwood Patissier), add two generous spoons of extra virgin olive oil and start mixing the ingredients together adding the flour gradually. Add the salt and mix the dough for about 15 minutes.
By hand: You can knead the dough with your bare hands until the dough is smooth.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 45 minutes). Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead to knock out any air pocketsfold. Form the dough into a round, place in the bowl again and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Oil the baking tray with some olive oil and then pat the dough out onto the tray so it’s about 1 cm thick. Brush some warm water and extra virgin olive oil on to the top of the dough. You can cook the dough as it is or sprinkle it with rock salt, rosemary or olives.
Bake the focaccia in a preheated oven to 200ºC for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Tips
• Never mix directly salt and yeast, as salt inhibits yeast growth
• The amount of water required may vary depending on flour type and humidity
• If you don`t have `00` flour, just use good quality plain flour


Focaccia
Ingredienti
• 400 gr farina (100g di manitoba e 300g di farina `00`)
• Olio extra vergine di oliva
• 1 cucchiaino di zucchero
• 2 cucchiaini di sale
• Rosmarino o Olive
• Sale grosso
• 2 cucchiani rasi di lievito di birra disidratato sciolti in circa 340 grammi di acqua tiepida
Preparazione
Sciogliere il lievito e lo zucchero nell`acqua tiepida e lasciare riposare per 10-15 minuti. Versare quindi nell`impastatrice e aggiungere 2 cucchiai di olio extra vergine di oliva. Iniziare ad impastare aggiungendo gradatamente la farina. Aggiungere il sale e continuare ad impastare per circa 15 minuti, o fino a quando il composto non risulta essere liscio ed elastico.
Se non avete un kitchen mixer potete impastare a mano.

Riversare il composto su un piano di lavoro infarinato ed impastare brevemente. Rimettere la pasta nel contenitore dell`impastatrice, coprire con della pellicola alimentare, e mettere a lievitare in un luogo lontano da correnti e possibilmente riscaldato. Lasciare levitare per circa 45 minuti, o fino a quando la pasta sara` raddoppiata di volume. Riversare il composto sul piano di lavoro e sgonfiare la pasta con le mani dando dei piccoli pugni. Ripiegare il panetto di pasta e riporlo di nuovo a lievitare per circa 30 minuti.
Stendere la pasta in una teglia oleata, bagnare la superficie con un po` d`acqua tiepida. Schiacciare un po` la pasta formando piccolo fossette, cospargere di sale a piacere e olio extra vergine di oliva. Aggiungere rosmarino o olive a seconda dei gusti. Mettere in forno caldo (200°) per circa 15 minuti.
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