Kumara focaccia with grapes and rosemary
I reckon everyone needs to experience how satisfying it is to make your own focaccia bread. There’s nothing quite like it fresh out of the oven, then plonked on the table to pull apart and generously dip into extravirgin olive oil and balsamic or cut into thick slabs to have with salad or soup. 300g kumara (red, orange or gold), peeled
and chopped (or you can use potato) 250ml warm (not hot) water
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp active dried yeast
2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp extravirgin olive oil
450g highgrade flour
Topping
1 cup grapes, cut in half leaves from 12 sprigs rosemary 1 Tbsp flaky sea salt or rock salt
Method
1. Cook kumara in boiling salted water until soft. Drain and mash well.
2. While kumara is cooking, combine warm water and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and stir gently. Set aside for about 10 minutes until frothy.
3. Whisk in mashed kumara, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sift in flour. Mix until ingredients are just combined.
4. Tip dough on to a clean, dry surface. Bring together with your hands and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding a little flour as needed. The dough should be soft; if it’s really sticky, add a little more flour.
5. Drizzle the inside of the bowl the dough was in with olive oil. Fold edges of the dough underneath to create a smooth, rounded top, then place in the oiled bowl. Drizzle and rub dough with a little more olive oil to prevent a crust forming on top. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour until it has doubled in size.
6. Drizzle a baking tray with olive oil.
Slide dough on to oiled tray. Use your fingertips to make indentations in the dough while gently stretching and flattening it into an oval shape about 1.5cm thick. Drizzle with more olive oil, cover with the tea towel and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes to rise again.
7. Heat oven to 220degC. Once the dough has risen, press your fingertips into the dough to make more indentations. Dot with grapes and sprinkle with rosemary and sea/rock salt. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and puffed around the edges. Eat warm, fresh out of the oven.