Description
Lemon and Bay Sweet Focaccia is a delightful bread combining zesty lemon and earthy bay leaves in a pillowy, olive oil-rich dough. This refreshing twist on Italian bread is perfect for breakfast, a snack, or an elegant dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500g strong white bread flour
- 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra for greasing)
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced (for topping)
- 300ml warm water
- 80g caster sugar
- 5 bay leaves (fresh preferred, but dried will work)
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Create a well in the center. Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and warm water to the well. Mix until combined, then knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Form into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Punch down the dough, transfer to the tray, stretch to fill it, and dimple the surface with fingers. Arrange lemon slices on top, cover, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 220°C (200°C fan/gas mark 7). Drizzle remaining olive oil over the focaccia, sprinkle with extra sea salt, and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. Transfer to a wire rack.
- For the drizzle, combine sugar, bay leaves, lemon zest, and juice in a saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves, simmer for 2-3 minutes, remove from heat, infuse for 10 minutes, and strain.
- While bread is warm, poke small holes with a skewer and drizzle half of the syrup over the focaccia. Cool completely before serving with remaining syrup on the side.
Notes
- For a nuttier flavor, substitute up to 100g of white flour with whole wheat flour.
- If you prefer a less sweet version, reduce the caster sugar to 1 tsp in the dough.
- Fresh bay leaves provide the most aromatic quality, but dried leaves also add beautiful flavor.
- Freeze lemons for 10 minutes before zesting to make the process easier and yield more zest.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of recipe
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: N/A
- Trans Fat: N/A
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: N/A