Focaccia Bread Art

You’ve probably seen this trend sweeping across social media. Influencers and foodies alike have been sharing their creations, and making focaccia bread art a top 2020 trend. Now you can join in by making your own focaccia bread and decorating it to your heart’s content.

This recipe makes the dough from scratch, but you can buy pre-made dough if you’re just in it for the decorating.

• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 3 – 5 cups bread flour
• 7g yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Vegetables and herbs for toppings
• Olive oil and balsamic vinegar to serve

• Whisk 1 cup water, 1 cup flour and the yeast in a bowl until combined.
• Add the remaining water, 2 cups flour, the olive oil, salt and sugar, and mix until combined.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Continue adding flour as needed, slowly and kneading the dough until it forms a combined ball, which should take 5 – 10 minutes.
• Place the dough in a bowl greased with olive oil, and cover.
• Leave to rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and stretch onto a sheet pan that has been greased with olive oil. Cover with plastic and leave in the fridge overnight.
• One hour before baking, remove the pan from the fridge and dimple the surface. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt over the top.
• Decorate the top with vegetables and herbs to form your artwork. Set aside and pre-heat the oven to 220°C. Leave for 20 minutes.
• Brush the top with olive oil one last time to protect the veggies and bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes.