Focaccia is the best of two worlds–something between a flatbread and a pizza. You can usually make it with olive oil and herbs. I added cherry tomatoes to this recipe because I love that sweet summer flavor when you mix tomatoes and olive oil.
I made the sourdough using the classic bread recipe. I enriched it by adding an extra 20 ml of water and a few spoons of olive oil. Sure, depending on the flour you use, you may need to adjust the quantity of liquid. You want to keep about 10 ml to add once the kneading machine has started putting the dough together. The mixture needs to be elastic and not rock hard, without getting too fluid.
After the first rising, I gave it the specific shape of focaccia, using my fingers only. I started stretching it with my fingers on a floured work area, and, once a little wider, I moved it into the baking tray, where I continued to spread the dough until it reached 1-1.5 cm of thickness. 
I cooked the cherry tomatoes in a small pan for about 10 minutes in low heat before placing them on the focaccia.
The result was a soft flavored bread, perfect for lunch or dinner. It's also great for sandwiches. You cut the piece of focaccia in half to make room for some ham and cheese in the middle, and you obtain a tasty Italian sandwich in just a few minutes.
Besides the rosemary I put on top, I also chopped some leaves and added them inside the dough to obtain a more robust flavor. (If you want less rosemary flavor in your focaccia, skip this part and add the herb on top only). I usually use a 6 cm branch of rosemary, half chopped and half spread on top. Too much rosemary will cover all the other flavors.
I use brewers yeast, which I crumble directly into the flour. But, different products have alternative cooking methods to guarantee the best results. So, remember to prepare the yeast and to adapt the quantity according to the producer's instructions.
Buon appetite! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Bread flour - 300 grams
- Water - 165-175 ml
- Olive oil - 7 spoons
- Yeast - 15 grams
- Table salt - 6 grams
- Coarsed salt - 5 grams
- Cherry tomatoes - 15
- Rosemary
Directions
- 1Chop a few leaves of rosemary. Make a bread dough using flour, water, yeast, table salt, three spoons of olive oil and the chopped rosemary. If you use a kneading machine, keep it on medium speed. The dough is ready when it removes itself from the bowl.
- 2Let the dough rest in a bowl, covered with some stretch film to maintain its humidity. Let it rest and rise for about one hour or until its volume doubles.
- 3In a small pan, add a spoon of olive oil and the cherry tomatoes and cook them on low fire for 10 minutes. Leave them cool, as they need to be at room temperature when you add them on the dough.
- 4When the dough has doubled its volume, place it on a floured work area and start stretching it with your fingers. Then move it to the baking tray and continue working with your fingers until it reaches a thickness of 1-1.5 cm. I place a piece of parchment paper under the dough to speed up the moving process.
- 5Add the remaining three spoons of olive oil on top of the dough, then spread the coarse salt and some rosemary leaves. On top, place the cooled cherry tomatoes.
- 6Leave the dough rise again for about 40-45 minutes.
- 7Bake at 190°C (374°F) for about 20-23 minutes or until golden brown. Sometimes, you will still have drops of olive oil on top of the focaccia when you remove it from the oven.
