Food

Easy rosemary garlic focaccia

No-knead, easy, rosemary garlic focaccia bread is thick, with a perfect golden and crispy texture on the outside, but soft, fluffy, and tender inside. This recipe is from Danny Rouncefield, AKA The Cornish Chef. Danny specialises in dinner parties, pop-ups, and cookery classes. Find out more at thecornishchef.co.uk

INGREDIENTS

80ml extra virgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic, finely minced, plus 4 for garnish 1tbsp fresh rosemary 2tsp active dry yeast 1/4tsp granulated sugar 225g luke-warm water 300g all-purpose flour 1/2tsp salt

METHOD In a small saucepan, add olive oil, garlic, and rosemary, and cook over a low heat. Stir until the garlic starts to sizzle — about 2 minutes. Do not overcook the garlic as it will turn brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in luke-warm water and mix together. Add flour and salt, and mix to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl (there should be no dry flour particles visible). The mixture should be very sticky and wet with 75% hydration (flour to water ratio). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

Spread a tablespoon of the rosemary garlic oil into an 8ins x 8ins baking tray. Transfer the dough into the tray and spread it to cover (the dough is quite sticky, so you can use some oil to help with handling the dough). Press the dough with your fingers to make dimples. Stud with a few whole garlic cloves and drizzle the remainng rosemary garlic oil on top. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 Celsius) and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Danny’s Charity Calendar

Danny has a new charity calendar for 2023, available to pre-order now. This time around, it features 12 recipes for mouthwatering desserts!

The calendar is raising funds for Charlie’s Star. The charity has been established in memory of a local couple’s son, Charlie Burns, It aims to “create hope and smiles” for bereaved South West families who have lost a child under the age of 19, by providing them with a fully-funded respite break in Cornwall.

The calendars cost £10 (plus postage), £5 of which goes to the charity. They will be sent out in November. Order at thecornishchef.co.uk. Find out more about the charity at charliesstar.org.