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VIDEO: Baking with Norman Calder… GBBO star’s fabulous Focaccia

Great British Bake Off’s north-east star Norman Calder presents his third video with the Press and Journal in association with Laing’s of Inverurie.

The retired Merchant Navy radio officer from Buckie, won the hearts of millions of viewers with his unassuming manner and rustic cooking style when he appeared on the BBC phenomenon.

The 67-year-old, who has been dubbed “Stormin’ Norman”, said he nearly backed out of the show after applying. But his excited family left him with no choice but to go through with it.

Now, in an exclusive video series filmed for the Press and Journal website, Norman is using the luxury cooking equipment and kitchens of Laing’s of Inverurie, leader in the design, supply and installation of luxury kitchens for over 20 years, to teach burgeoning bakers new tricks.

This week, it’s delicious Focaccia bread.

Ingredients

  • 500g strong white flour
  • 10g dried active yeast
  • 10g salt
  • 50ml olive + extra for drizzling
  • 300ml + water
  • About 16 to 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Sea salt, dried oregano & ground black pepper to finish, or herb of your choice, eg rosemary

 

Method

Add the flour, yeast, salt, olive oil & water to your mixer and mix with the dough hook for 10 minutes. Alternatively mix well by hand and knead for ten minutes. It is a wet dough however. Transfer mix to an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place – your kitchen at 20 degs C is fine – until doubled in size, around an hour and a bit.

Remove dough to a well oiled work surface and knock all the air out of it but do not knead again. Divide the dough in two equal parts and shape to two rectangles to fit well-oiled baking trays, very approximately 30cm x 20cm – size not critical, I use the disposable foil trays. Flatten out to fit the tins make indentations all over with your fingers, adding halved cherry tomatoes about 2” apart all over the surface. Cover and leave again in a warm place for one hour.

Once the second proving has taken place, again  they should have grown quite a bit, sprinkle or spray the top with olive oil, add ground black pepper, oregano and sea salt and bake at 200 degs C for 25 minutes or until nicely browned. Spray with some more olive oil after removing from the oven. Best eaten warm with your favourite pasta dish. Any left over can be frozen then thawed out and warmed through wrapped in foil in a moderate oven for around 15 minutes.

You could also finish off one or both of the breads with sliced par-boiled potatoes, red onion or sun dried tomato instead of the cherry tomato.