Sweet berry focaccia

I wanted a recipe that I could get ahead and make in advance. Focaccia! It’s the perfect one to prove overnight and then bake in the morning. Putting a twist on the classic savoury focaccia… I made it sweet (of course, no surprise there). This one is topped with a mixture of delicious berries, topped with a shiny sugar syrup and a crack of black pepper. YES, black pepper. It provides a little heat and brings the sweetness out of the berries. I may have been a little heavy handed with the pep, but definitely worth a try if you’re feeling adventurous!

Sweet berry focaccia

 500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting 

7g dried fast action yeast

3 tbsp caster sugar

½ tsp fine sea salt

2 tbsp olive oil 

150g mixture of berries, halved & quarter so the same size

Black pepper (optional)

For the syrup

50g caster sugar 

1 Put the flour into a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer). Mix the yeast and sugar into one side of the flour, and the fine salt into the other side. Then mix everything together, this separation prevents the salt from killing the yeast.

2 Add 2 tbsp oil and 400ml lukewarm water, adding it gradually until you have a sticky dough (you may not need all the water or need slightly more – but if you have a stand mixer I would recommend adding up to 50ml more water as it will give you a fluffier dough). You can either combine it by hand or use the dough hook on your mixer. If doing it by hand sprinkle the work surface with flour and tip the dough onto it, scraping around the sides of the bowl. Knead for 5-10 mins until your dough is soft and slightly less sticky (or in your stand mixer). If you’re using a stand mixer cover the bowl with a tea towel (or if you’re doing it by hand place into a bowl and cover) and leave to prove for 1 hr until doubled in size. You can also leave it in the fridge at this point to prove over night.

3 Heavily oil a rectangle, shallow tin (around 20 x 30cm) (if you find your tin is quite old and tends to stick, I’d advise lining it with greaseproof too) . Tip the dough onto the work surface, then stretch it to fill the tin. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for another 35-45 mins.

4 Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Press your fingers into the dough to make dimples (if you oil your hands it’s easier to do this as it won’t stick the dough). Dot the berries on top of the bread. Mix together 1½ tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp water and drizzle over the bread, top with a crack of black pepper if you like. 

5 Bake for 18 - 20 mins until golden. When it comes out the oven, make the sugar syrup by putting the sugar and 50ml water into a small saucepan, simmer for 2 mins and then brush gently over the warm focaccia. You won’t need all the syrup but it’s a good thing to use up on different bakes that need a glaze. 

6 Delicious cut into squares and served warm with some vanilla ice cream or cold with some mascarpone on the side.