Rachel Allen

Presented in 2011

Easy soda focaccia

Makes 1 loaf

As this recipe uses no yeast, it is not, strictly speaking, a proper Italian focaccia, but a quirky Irish–Italian mix, using a soda bread recipe. It’s very quick to make and is delicious covered with a host of additional ingredients (see the variations below).

450 g (1 lb/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

350–400 ml (12–14 fl oz) buttermilk or sour milk (see Rachel’s baking tip opposite)

a good drizzle of olive oil, about 60–75 ml (2–2²/₃ fl oz)

sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7). Brush the inside of a 33 cm × 23 cm (13 × 9 inch) Swiss roll (jelly roll) tin or roasting tin generously with olive oil.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour most of the buttermilk in at once and, using one hand with your fingers outstretched like a claw, mix in the flour from the side of the bowl, adding more buttermilk if necessary. The dough should be softish, but not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a floured board and roll it out so that it will fit into the Swiss roll tin. Make dimples all over with your fingertips on the top of the dough, then drizzle generously with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the sea salt.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the bread is nice and golden on the top and bottom. If the bread is a good golden colour and you don’t want it to darken any more during cooking, reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6) and continue to bake for the remaining time.

When the focaccia is cooked but still hot, drizzle just a little more olive oil over the top and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Variations

Red onion, olive and rosemary    Place chunks of a peeled red onion, cut first into 6 wedges lengthways, then half crossways, onto the raw dough (3 across and 4 down, so that there are 12 altogether), so that each “square” will have some of everything. Next to the red onion, place a pitted olive (press it down slightly) and a little sprig of rosemary. Finish with the drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Bake as opposite.

Gruyère and thyme leaf    Sprinkle 150 g (5½ oz) grated Gruyère cheese and 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves over the raw dough, then drizzle with just a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake as opposite.

Sun-dried tomato and basil    Add a small handful of sun-dried tomatoes, about 50 g (1¾ oz), roughly chopped, and 1 tablespoon of chopped or torn basil to the dry ingredients at the start. Continue as opposite.

Brown soda focaccia    Replace 150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) of the flour with wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour and continue as above.

Rachel’s baking tip: To make your own sour milk, heat the milk gently until warmed, then remove from the heat and add the juice of ½ lemon. Leave at room temperature overnight. If you are allergic to dairy products, this recipe works well with soy or rice milk soured in this way too.

We had an incredible time — so amazing. The Festival was fabulous ߞso exciting with a wonderful variety of food and foodies alike … I think it’s safe to say we ate our way through the city. RACHEL ALLEN, 2011