Stoveside Sam

Courgette, Goat's Cheese and Fruit Vinegar Focaccia

Stoveside Sam
Courgette, Goat's Cheese and Fruit Vinegar Focaccia

It may be a little unusual to see vinegar play such a prominent role in such a dish, but it really does brighten the dish and sweeten it ever so slightly. In my case, I had a bottle of strawberry tops vinegar sat on the shelf but raspberry, rhubarb or gooseberry would work just as well. At a push, even a good quality apple cider vinegar will work.

Serves 4-6

500g strong white bread flour

325ml warm water

7g dried yeast

10g fine salt

20g olive oil

2-3 medium courgettes, finely sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

100g goat’s cheese

Fruit vinegar

  1. In a food mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, water, yeast, salt and oil. Mix on a low speed for roughly 15 minutes, until the dough is smooth and only slight tacky to the touch.

  2. Shape the dough into a rough ball, and place into a clean, oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth, and leave somewhere warm. Once it has doubled in size, punch it down and reshape into a ball again. Cover and allow to double in size again.

  3. Preheat the oven to 250°C.

  4. Take a high sided baking tray, roughly 25x35cm, and lightly oil to help prevent the foccacia sticking. Punch down the dough again, and place in the oiled tray. Press out the dough into the tray, right into the corners. Cover again and allow to final prove for 30 minutes.

  5. While the dough is proving, saute the courgettes and garlic over a medium heat until soft and fragrant.

  6. Once the dough is airy and puffed up, scatter the courgettes over the top. Crumble the goat’s cheese as well, and finish off with a good drizzle of the fruit vinegar of your choice and some flaky salt.

  7. Using your fingertips, poke deep holes into the dough all over. Don’t worry about pressing the toppings deep into the dough; it allows for some bits to be soft and gooey, and others baked more and slightly crisped up.

  8. Bake in the oven for ten minutes, then turn down the oven to 200°C and bake for anothe ten minutes.

  9. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving; as suggested in the photo, this makes an excellent snack on a ramble.