Nduja focaccia with tomatoes and rosemary recipe
This version of focaccia uses cherry tomatoes and the spicy Calabrian sausage ’nduja. Buy ’nduja if you see it – it can be hard to find. Soft, spicy chorizo makes a reasonable alternative, but it won’t give you the same spicy flavour.
Timings
Prep time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour 15 minutes proving
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Serves
Eight as an antipasto
Ingredients
- 900g strong white bread flour
- 100g semolina, plus extra for the tin
- 35g fresh yeast
- Pinch of caster sugar
- 15g salt
- 30ml good olive oil, plus extra to finish
- 500-550ml lukewarm water
- 150g cherry tomatoes, halved and tossed in 3 tbsp good olive oil
- 100g ’nduja
- Roughly chopped rosemary leaves
- Burrata or mozzarella, to serve (optional)
Method
Mix together the flour and semolina in a large bowl. In another bowl mix the yeast with the sugar. Add the salt, olive oil and 500ml of lukewarm water to the yeast and sugar and mix together. Tip the yeast mixture into the flour and mix – by hand or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook – to a soft but not sticky dough (you may need to add more water or flour). This will take about 5 minutes in a machine.Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about one hour, until doubled in size. During this time, oil a roasting tin and sprinkle it with semolina.Gently spread out the dough in the prepared tin to a rectangle or square.Mix the tomatoes and ’nduja together in a bowl, then scatter all over the dough, positioning the tomatoes cut-sides up and pushing them down level with the top of the dough. Sprinkle over some flaky sea salt and rosemary. Leave to prove in a warm place for 10–15 minutes, until risen. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/Gas 7 and place a tray of water in the bottom of the oven.Once proved, bake the focaccia for 10–15 minutes, until golden and it sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Drizzle more oil over the top as soon as the bread comes out of the oven, then leave to cool on a wire rack. Serve with burrata or mozzarella, or on its own.Recipe from The Italian Deli Cookbook by Theo Randall (Quadrille, £26). Order your copy from books.telegraph.co.uk
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Kary Bruening
Update: 2024-05-30