Focaccia with olives, feta cheese, ham

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 400 g wheat flour
• 100 g Parma ham
• 100 g sheep’s cheese, feta
• 100 g black olives, dry-pickled
• 1 cube of yeast
• 125 ml water, lukewarm
• 1 tsp rosemary, fresh, chopped
• 1 tsp sage, fresh, chopped
• 6 tbsp olive oil, good
• 5 tbsp dry white wine
• 1 tsp oregano, dried
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes

Bread “with taste” as a side dish or with Mediterranean spreads

Dissolve the sugar and crumbled yeast in 125 ml of lukewarm water. Place the flour in a large bowl, make a fist-sized well in the center, pour the dissolved yeast into the well, and mix lightly. Cover and let rise for at least 15 minutes. Cut the ham into fine pieces (I have the butcher cut two thicker slices for me), crumble the feta cheese, and cut the olives into small slices. Knead the yeast dough with half a teaspoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and the wine until you have a medium-firm (easily moldable) dough, adding lukewarm water if necessary. Knead in the ham, feta cheese, rosemary, and sage until well distributed. Then gradually add the olives, working the dough only by hand, as using a machine can cause the olive slices to lose their shape and color the dough. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for another 20 minutes. Place the dough ball on a floured baking sheet/lined with baking paper and press evenly to form a round flatbread approximately 22-23 cm in diameter. Brush with olive oil and use a blunt object to make small holes almost reaching the bottom of the baking sheet. Sprinkle with oregano and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (top/bottom oven 180°C fan/convection oven) for approximately 35-40 minutes. The surface should be evenly browned – depending on your oven, the focaccia may need to be turned after a while. If you like, you can also sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on top of the oregano; since it browns faster than the dough, it looks better. Immediately after taking the focaccia out of the oven, brush it well with olive oil and let it cool slightly, covered with a cloth. Focaccia can be enjoyed lukewarm or cold.