Potato and tomato focaccia

Serves:

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250ml) warm water
• 2 tsp dried yeast
• 1 cup cooked, mashed potato
• 1/4 cup (80ml) olive oil
• 4 1/2 cups  (675g) ’00’ flour
• 1 handful fresh cherry tomatoes
• sea salt

Method

Pour the water into the bowl of an electric mixer with dough hook, or one large bowl. Sprinkle over the yeast and whisk lightly. Set aside for a few minutes for the yeast to start frothing a little (this means it has been ‘activated’).

Add the mashed potato, olive oil and flour and mix together with a fork. Then knead either with the dough hook or by hand for about five minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Set aside to prove in a warm spot for 2 hours, or until doubled in size (or leave in the fridge to prove overnight as per introduction).

Preheat oven to 200°C convetional (180°C fan-forced) and line a lamington tray with baking paper.

Press dough into the tray and dot with the cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and lightly scatter with sea salt.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the top and bottom is a lovely golden colour. Let cool slightly then cut or tear into nice chunks.

Find more bread recipes

• Irish soda bread
• Mushroom and haloumi turkish bread
• Soft poppyseed milk bread
• Turkish bread pizzas
• Brioche
• Potato and tomato focaccia
• Zucchini bread
• Banana bread

Serving Suggestions

Note

• The great thing about this dough is that it can be made up the night before then left to prove slowly and quietly in the fridge.
• "OO" flour is a very finely milled flour that is suitable for Italian-style breads, pasta and pizza dough. You can find it in the flour section of your supermarket.
• About 40 minutes before you think you’d like to eat this, turn the oven to high, remove the dough from the fridge and press into the baking tray and chuck straight into the oven.
• The other option is making a tray up on the weekend, slicing into wedges and then freezing each one individually.
• They thaw out really well and are great for lunch boxes.
• This recipe was created by Sophie Hansen for Kidspot, New Zealand's best recipe finder: You can follow Sophie on Local is Lovely, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.