the food : recipes & cooking ideas

Rosemary and goats cheese olive oil bread Ingredients:

Makes 2 loaves

30g/1oz fresh yeast
½ tsp sugar
600ml/1 pint 2fl oz warm water
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for oiling
680g/1½ lb strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp rock olive oil
1½ tsp coarse salt
leaves from 5-7 rosemary sprigs

Method:

2 hours 30 minutes preparation, 40 minutes cooking

1. Roughly blend olive oil and rosemary together with stick blender or finely chop leave to soak.

2.Mix the yeast with the sugar together adds two-thirds of the water and the olive oil.

3.Stir together the flour and the salt in a big bowl. Add the yeast mix with a little of the remaining water. Mix together to form soft dough. Add more water if the dough is a bit dry.

4.Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for ten minutes until smooth and elastic.

5.Lightly oil a large bowl and pop the kneaded dough in, Cover with cling film or a damp cloth and leave in a warm place to rise for about 1½ hour until twice the size

6.Preheat the oven to 220C/400F/Gas 7.

7.When the dough has risen, knead for about five minutes  'knock it back'.

8.Shape the dough to whatever shape you like I have used two small rounds in this instance put onto baking tray and cover with a clean, damp cloth and allow to rise/prove until double their size

9.When raised, poke dimples into the dough. Brush and tip with the olive oil and rosemary mix then sprinkle with the rock salt

10. bake for ten minutes.

11.Reduce the heat to 190C/375F/Gas 5 and bake for 25-30 minutes more until the loaves are golden and cooked-through.

12.When baked, and still very hot scatter squashed goats cheese to loosely melt turn out onto a wire rack to cool a little. EAT