Thursday 29 May 2014

Garlic & Thyme Focaccia Bread...Eat Me Warm With A Smile


Mmmm, what is better than warm bread straight from the oven to the table, to be shared and teared and devoured with soup. 
This lovely little flat bread is delightfully soft and comforting, with cloves of roasted garlic sunk into the dough and sprigs of thyme scattered liberally creating a mouth watering smell throughout the kitchen.

The coconut oil works great with this bread, I rubbed it all over the top before baking it and the crust came out a wonderful pale gold. The coconut flavour isn't too overpowering, you just get a hint when you lick your lips.
Rock salt is also tasty for sprinkling over the top before baking, black pepper too!



This bread is so so easy to make, I make it or a variation of it most weeks. In fact, T loves homemade bread so much we have to fight the urge to have it with our evening meal every night. I never use yeast in my breads, partly because it doesn't agree with me and partly because it's just so much easier and quicker without it. I've used my soda bread recipe as a base for so many other bread recipes, each time adding different things and playing around with the quantities. 


So here it is, am promised...
Garlic & Thyme Focaccia Bread

Ingredients

5 oz/150g Spelt flour
4 oz/100g Plain flour
1 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate soda
3 1/2 fl oz/100ml Coconut milk - the stuff from the can, shake it up so it's not separated
3 1/2 fl oz/100ml Water
2 tbsp Cider vinegar

8 Cloves garlic -roasted in coconut oil
Large pinch of salt - and some extra rock salt for sprinkling
2 tsp Thyme - and some extra for sprinkling
Generous amount of black pepper

Coconut oil for roasting the garlic, greasing the tin and drizzling onto top of bread

Firstly, get your garlic in the oven roasting, they shouldn't take long. Once roasted remove from the oven and set aside.
Now, mix the coconut milk and water and add the vinegar. Give it a stir and set it aside.
Sift your two flours together and add the salt, black pepper and thyme.
Now pour the milk and water mixture in the flours, using a knife to stir it until it clinging together. Use your hands to kneed it lightly into a dough. The dough will be sticky and wet.

Grease your tin and your hands with the coconut oil. The oil on your hands will stop the dough sticking to them.
Now push the dough into the tray and flatten it. Use your hands to rub coconut oil over the top, making the surface uneven with little dips and hills.
Now poke the garlic cloves into the dough, sprinkle with the left over thyme and some rock salt.

Bake in the oven at 200 c for around 15-20 minutes.
Eat this bread warm with a smile on your face.



Happy baking! x








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