Herb Tomato Focaccia

I love the smell of fresh focaccia, it mixes the warmth of fresh bread with wonderful aromatic herbs, like thyme, rosemary and basil. To make a wholesome rustic bread, I've topped this focaccia with chopped tomatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary and basil. This bread is great with a simple dip of just extra-virgin olive oil; I used one infused with oranges, and it makes a great 4 o-clock munchie with a hot mug of tea. I used dried herbs for this, as they were all I had available, but if you have fresh herbs available, use double the listed amount of dried herbs for that little extra oomph.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup fine semolina
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tsp sugar
• 1 cup luke warm water
• 1 tbsp dried yeast
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• Olive oil for drizzling
• salt to taste

Method

1. Mix the flour and semolina together and add the olive oil and some salt to taste.
2. Add the sugar to the lukewarm water and dissolve the yeast in it. Once it starts frothing, add it to the flour mixture and make a soft dough.
3. Knead the dough to release the wheat's gluten to make it elastic, where when stretched it recedes slightly.
4. Place the dough in a warm place to rise; it should take around an hour to double in size. You can place it in a warm oven to rise, by heating an oven at the lowest gas mark for 5 minutes, then switching it off and leaving the bread in it.
5. For the topping, add the chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil, thyme, rosemary, vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil to a mixing bowl and toss it around.
6. Add some salt and leave aside for 10 minutes.
7. Once the dough has doubled in size, beat it down and flatten it out on a baking tray. Use you palms to push and stretch it out to an even thickness of about half an inch. Add a few indentations and wells with your fingers. 
8. Toss the topping mixture over the dough and spread it around. Drizzle the dough liberally with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set aside for about an hour, in a warm place, for it to proof.
9. Once the dough has risen a second time, place in a preheated oven at 210 centigrade (gas mark 7) for 30 minutes, or till a golden brown crust appears on top and the bread is cooked through.
10. Pull it out once cooked and leave aside for 10 minutes to cool. Then cut it into thick slices and serve with olive oil.