Garden sage and fennel seed focaccia
A focaccia is always welcome, and this one makes the most of the fresh sage seeds from the bronze fennel in the gardens at Fowlescombe Farm, where Elly cooks.
Elly says: 'We’re so lucky to have so many incredible herbs right outside the kitchen door and nipping outside to gather them myself never gets old. This recipe features one of my favourites, bronze fennel, which has a slightly sweeter aniseed flavour that works especially well in focaccia and brings some beautiful colour in our herb garden.'
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 1.4kg bread flour, plus extra to dust
- 30g of salt
- 30g of sugar
- 1 tbsp of fennel seeds, plus extra for garnish
- 2 tbsp of chopped sage, plus extra leaves for garnish (optional)
- 70g of fresh yeast
- 750ml of tepid water
- 200ml of olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- rock salt, for garnish
- sprig of rosemary, for garnish (optional)
Method
Place the flour, salt, sugar, sage and fennel seeds into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Add the yeast, water and olive oil to a jug. Start off at slow speed and gradually pour in the liquid until all incorporated, then turn the speed up and knead until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Remove from the machine, cover and leave to proof until doubled in size
- 1.4kg bread flour
- 30g of salt
- 30g of sugar
- 2 tbsp of chopped sage, plus extra for garnish
- 1 tbsp of fennel seeds
- 70g of fresh yeast
- 750ml of tepid water
- 200ml of olive oil
Knock back the dough on a floured surface, then roll flat with a rolling pin to the size of your tray
Pour a generous glug of olive oil into the tray and dip one side of the focaccia, then flip over to cover both sides. Sprinkle with some extra fennel seeds
Cover and leave to proof until doubled in size once more
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan. Uncover the dough and add a sprinkle of rock salt. Using your fingers on both hands, gently poke to make slight dents, before placing into the oven for 5 minutes. Turn the oven down to 180°C fan and continue to bake for 30–35 minutes. Allow the focaccia to cool on a rack and, optionally, garnish with fresh rosemary and sage
- rock salt, for garnish
- sage leaves
- sprig of rosemary, for garnish (optional)
Farm-to-fork cooking isn’t anything new in the British food scene. It’s a phrase that gets thrown around quite a bit; often with little substance behind it. But for Elly Wentworth, it’s a calling; the abundance and limitations of working with produce grown on-site at Fowlescombe Farm is a dream come true.
Get in touch
Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.
