In the early days of Melbourne's COVID lockdown around April 2020, we added freshly baked roasted garlic and rosemary focaccia to the B&P menu. We were all feeling very uncertain about the road ahead and the addition of this home style focaccia, along with his fruit crumbles and outstanding chicken pie were a welcome and calming distraction for the whole team and our customers.

Our kitchen is always filled with an intoxicating mix of aromas but the smell of freshly baked bread triggers an undeniable feeling of well being and certainty and we welcomed it everyday.

This recipe was never published as a recipe of the week so here it is for you to recreate at home. It's a lovely, simple and delicious recipe that you can adapt to your liking. You can use anything you like to prefer to top your focaccia, maybe roasted garlic, herbs, crushed tomato, onions or even cooked potatoes... whatever you like.

Here I have kept it simple so you can use it as a blank canvas.

Any left over can be turned into croutons or crispy wafers for cheese and nibbles.

Check out this video to give you some inspo for what to do with your focaccia. HERE.

Garlic & Sesame Seed Focaccia

Makes : 1 loaf 20cm X 30cm tray

Serves: 6 – 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus proving)

Bake/Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

500 g Strong bakers flour, sieved

10 g Salt

325 ml Water, tepid (27°C)

7 g Dried active yeast

80 ml Olive oil

As needed Roasted garlic oil

As needed Sesame seeds

As needed Salt flakes

As needed Cracked black peppercorns

Method:

1. Place half the flour, yeast, water and olive oil into the bowl of an electric stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Turn the machine on to a low speed and mix to a paste. If making by hand then mix the ingredients in a bowl with a spatula until a lump free paste has formed.
2. Add the remaining flour and mix for a further 7 minutes on speed 2.
3. Add the salt and continue to mix for a further 3 minutes.
4. Remove the bowl from the machine, the dough which should now be smooth and shiny, needs to prove so place a damp tea towel over the surface of the bowl and place the bowl in a warm place to prove. The dough should almost double in size and, depending on the temperature of your room, this could take between 20 – 50 minutes.
5. Take a deep 20cm X 30m nonstick baking tray and lightly brush olive oil onto the interior surface.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and knock it back onto a very lightly floured work surface. Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten and shape the dough to the rough size of the baking tray.
7. Place the dough into the tray cavity and liberally brush the surface of the dough with the garlic oil.
8. Use your fingertips to make indents into the dough all over the surface and again brush with garlic oil.
9. Sprinkle sesame seeds and liberally sprinkle the surface of the bread with salt flakes. Add the black pepper as well.
10. Place the tray somewhere warm and prove the dough until it has doubled in height. This may take anywhere from 20 – 50 minutes depending on your room temperature.
11. Place the loaf into an oven preheated to 220°C and bake for 12-15 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before gently lifting the loaf out of the tray onto a cooling rack. Again, brush with garlic oil, cool for a further 5 minutes before serving.