Foccacia bread

This foccasia bread tastes fantastic, and it is very easy to make. If you use some whole grain flour, seeds and grains - it is very healthy as well! You can also add some feta, olives and sun-dried tomatoes on the top of the bread before baking it.

In this recipe I've used only 10 grams of yeast, because I let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight (10-12 hours), and afterwards in the baking tray about 1 ½ to 2 hours. If you do not have the time, you can increase the amount of yeast to 50 grams: This reduces the rise-time to about 30 minutes, and to 20 minutes in the baking tray.

Ingredients:

· 5 dl water

· 10 gr fresh yeast

· 1 tablespoon salt

· 1 tablespoon olive oil

· 1 dl oatmeal

· 1-1 ½ dl seeds and grains (I used a blend of wheat and ry grain, sesame- , sunflower- and flaxseeds)

· 5 dl fine wheat flour

· 3-4 dl whole grain flour

1 cup coarse salt

fresh or dried herbs (I used a pinch of dried rosemary)

You can also mix the oil, herbs and salt - those who love garlic can chop 2 cloves of garlic to the mix. Heat the oil and herbs a half an hour, in about 50 degrees; to infuse the aromas of herbs and garlic to the oil.

Recipe:

• Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water.

• Add salt, oatmeal, seed mix, oil and flour, and mix them well. The dough should be fairly spongy and mushy - not as firm as the normal bread dough. I used a firm, small wooden spoon to mix the dough.

• Cover the dough bowl with a lid or foil, and place it in the fridge to rise overnight (10-12 h).

• In the morning, line a baking tray with a parchment paper, cover the tray with a kitchen towel and let the bread rise about 1 ½ - 2 hours.

• Use your fingers to dimple the dough, and brush the olive oil and sprinkle with course salt, rosemary or other herbs. If you wish, you may want to add some feta cheese, olives and sun-dried tomatoes.

• Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, in a fan assisted oven about 200 degrees, in a conventional oven at 250 degrees - or until the bread is golden brown.

Foccasia is a tasty side dish to a meal, and it makes an excellent sandwich. I recommend the following sandwich-fillings:
- Pesto, hummus, grilled sweet peppers, a slice of mozzarella, lettuce and tomato slices
- Pesto, Parma ham, a slice of mozzarella, lettuce and tomato (greatly inspired by my friend Gry, who served us the most tasty sandwiches last week!)

I prepared a picnic lunch sandwiches with these fillings last weekend, when we met our special friends in Tivoli: These sandwiches were delicious to the last crumb, and they gave us & the children energy to keep going the whole afternoon ;-)