seawater & Saltbush focaccia
Recipe by: Recipe by Simone Watts - Executive Chef at Barragunda and Image by Katie Harmsworth.
This is a nice wintery, simple bread recipe that is very ‘of place’ here in the Peninsula using seawater and indigenous saltbush.
- Autumn, Winter
20 Minutes
30 Minutes
4 People
- 400gm bakers flour
- 100gm Tuerong Farm spelt flour
- 7gm dried yeast
- 400gm seawater, boiled and strained
- 50ml luke-warm water
- 100ml olive oil, try one of our many local oils.
- 5 large sprigs saltbush, picked
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 5gm flaky salt
- In a small pot, combine the garlic cloves and the oil and simmer on a very low heat until the garlic cloves are tender.
- Cool, then pour this mix over the picked saltbush leaves.
- Combine the flours in a stand up mixer with the dough hook. Alternatively you can knead this recipe by hand, but it’s quite a wet dough and requires the ‘slap and fold’ method in order to strengthen the glutens.
- Add the dried yeast to the luke-warm water and allow to stand for a few minutes before incorporating into the flour along with the sea water.
- Mix on medium speed until the glutens are strong, it should be shiny and stretch without breaking.
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover and allow to double in size (about 2 hours depending on the temperature of your room).
- Line a tray with baking paper and oil, then knock back your dough before shaping into a smooth round ball.
- Pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees fan forced.
- Allow your loaf to prove again, this time on the baking paper. After around an hour, transfer your saltbush and garlic mix to the top of your loaf and press in gently. Bubbles should rise up and form around the saltbush swallowing up pieces of gooey garlic.
- Sprinkle the salt on top of the loaf then transfer to the over. Cook for 10 minutes at 220 degrees, then turn down to 180 degrees and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Be patient and allow to cool for at least half an hour before tearing in!