Bread is something really important for me and I like to bake it and eat it with various dishes. This is not coming as a surprise that I really like to bake and eat focaccia. This bread with olives, mixed herbs, cheese and either bacon or anchovies is perfect for an outdoor picnic or a quick dinner along with a salad. You can also serve it as an aperitif.
This recipe is really quick to do, if you have a bread maker, just pour all the ingredients and launch the dough program for 15 minutes, then shape the dough and let it rise somewhere warm.
Last time, I made a bigger batch and bake 2 focaccia and froze one that is so handy when it is a crazy week and you don’t have time to cook, think… and don’t want to opt for a takeaway.

• SERVE:  or 
• PREPARATION: 2h30 or 45 minutes (if you only use the 15 minutes dough knead program)
• COOK: 25 minutes
• DIFFICULTY: 

What do you need?

• 70 ml water
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 36 g emmental or cheddar
• 30 g olives
• Mixed herbs
• 125 g plain flour
• 4 g dried yeast
• Anchovies (they can be used on top for decoration or you can both for decoration and inside the dough)

How to do a Focaccia with emmental, olives and anchovies?

• Put all ingredients, in order as listed above, in the bread maker (or food processor with a kneading tool) and put on the kneading program (usually 15 minutes)

When I am doing the focaccia, I prefer to keep the anchovies for the decoration on top of the focaccia, but you can also put some on the dough, it is a question of taste. Don’t forget that the anchovies are pretty salty.

• Remove the dough from the bowl and manipulate it with hands for removing the gas
• Shape the focaccia dough with a rolling pin and put in an oven tray (that you covered previously with a baking parchment)
• Add the anchovies on top of the dough
• With a razor, do some scarves on top of the focaccia (for decorative purpose)
• With a brush spread some olives oil on the top of the bread and sprinkle some mixed herbs
• Let rise the dough for 30 minutes in a warm environment

For some bread maker, the kneading program doesn’t exist, only a program for kneading + rising is available, usually, it is 1h30, so this program is fine to use, the focaccia is going to be even airier

• Preheat for 20 minutes the oven at 200°C

 Add a ramekin of water in your oven during the preheating, that will allow having a crispier bread, as it will make steam. The ramekin needs to stay in the oven when the bread is in it.

• Bake the focaccia d in the oven at 200°C for 25 minutes
• Let cool down and serve it

More recipe to try and enjoy: