One of my favourite things about the foodie community on Instagram is that it’s bursting with creativity. I just wish I had more time on my hands to try all the lovely things I see out there. One thing I just had to do was a focaccia garden. Have you seen them? I first saw my friend @sweetinnature post one, and started browsing the #focacciaart hashtag. So many gorgeous creations!
Here’s my first attempt, with baby tomatoes, flat leaf parsley, lemon thyme and asparagus. Yeah, it does look more vibrant and beautiful before it’s baked (swipe to see the before pic), but it was also lovely when it came out of the oven. And yes, it tasted delicious too.
Ingredients
20 g fresh yeast (or 12 g dry yeast)
3 dl water
0,5 dl olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
1,5 tbsp agave syrup (or other sweetener)
7,5 dl plain flour
Dissolve the yeast in the water. If you’re in a hurry, use 37 C water, otherwise use cold. Add olive oil, sea salt and agave syrup, before adding the flour. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes until smooth. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size. I always prefer to start the dough with cold water and let it rise for a few hours in room temperature, or even all day in the fridge.
Transfer the dough to a tray, about 20 x 30 cm, covered in parchment paper and lightly greased. Flatten the dough carefully. Leave it for another 30 minutes.
Brush the dough with olive oil and decorate it with herbs and vegetables. Here I’ve used flat leaf parsley, baby tomatoes, asparagus and lemon thyme.
Bake for about 20 minutes in 225 C. Check often towards the end. (I didn’t, apparently. Should have taken it out 2 min earlier…) Leave to cool for a few minutes before serving.