Tana Ramsay is Raring2go! with her Tomato and Basil Focaccia recipe
Following on from her toad-in-the-hole recipe, featured in the winter edition of Raring2go! Tana Ramsay has very kindly shared with us her delicious recipe for tomato and basil focaccia.
This is a great recipe to do with the children after school or at the weekend for a hearty snack or meal accompaniment. Making dough uses basic ingredients and provides lots of opportunity for some old fashioned messy kitchen fun – the result of which will taste good too!
The recipe is taken from Tana Ramsay’s most recent recipe book, published late last year, Tana Ramsay’s Real Family Food (HarperCollins, £20), which is a must for every family kitchen.
Tomato and Basil Focaccia
You will need
For the dough
- 250ml / 9fl oz water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp Maldon sea salt
- 100g / 14oz white bread flour
- 2¼ tsp dried yeast
- 6 ice cubes
For the topping
- 10 Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Large handful of Basil leaves, torn
- 25g / 1oz grated Parmesan
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1Place all the ingredients for the dough into a bowl and mix together (use a mixer with a dough hook if possible). When it is in a nice dough ball, knead on a lightly floured surface for approximately 5 minutes. Use the heel of one hand to push the dough away from you, simultaneously using the other hand to bring the dough back to the starting position.
2Place the dough in a greased mixing bowl and leave to rise in a warm place for approximately 45 minutes, until it is doubled in size
3Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5.
4Lightly grease a 33 x 23cm (13 x 9 inch) baking tin.
5Knead the dough on a floured surface, adding half the tomatoes and half of the torn basil leaves. Knead to mix through evenly.
6Place the dough into the baking tin, stretch it over the bottom and even it out. Using your fingers, dimple the top of the dough. Top with the remaining basil and tomatoes, pushing them a little into the dough. Sprinkle over the Parmesan cheese. Drizzle over the olive oil, letting it form ‘pools’ in the finger dents. Sprinkle over some Maldon sea salt and ground black pepper.
7Place in the bottom third of the oven. Put 6 ice cubes in the bottom of the oven to create some steam, and leave to bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Remove and slice into 12 pieces.
Makes: 12 pieces
Preperation Time: 60 minutes (45 minutes for resting the dough)
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
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