Potato & Halloumi Focaccia

Ingredients

• 350 g Potatoes
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 300 g Strong white bread flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Sachet dried yeast (7g)
• 1 tbsp Dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp Dried thyme
• 130-150 ml Water (Reserved from cooking the potatoes)
• 220 g Potatoes
• 100 g Halloumi
• 1/2 tsp Dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp Dried thyme
• Large pinch of Coarse sea salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel and chop the potatoes for the dough and boil for 25-30 minutes until soft, drain them into a colander over a bowl to reserve the cooking water

2. 2

   Chop the potatoes for the topping (I left the skin on but you can remove it if you prefer) and parboil for 10 minutes, set aside to cool down

3. 3

   Mash the potatoes for the dough up with the olive oil and allow to cool

4. 4

   In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, yeast, rosemary, thyme and salt. (Make sure not to pour the yeast and salt directly onto each other)

5. 5

   Add the mashed potato into the bowl and mix in

6. 6

   Measure out the cooking water and add it bit by bit until a dough forms - you may not need all of the water or you may need a little more

7. 7

   Knead by hand (put olive oil on your hands and work surface if the dough is sticky), or knead in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, for 10 minutes

8. 8

   Place into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film, leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour

9. 9

   While you're waiting, chop up the parboiled potatoes into small wedges and the halloumi into small cubes

10. 10

    Tip the dough out onto a lipped baking tray greased with olive oil and spread it out using your fingers. I used a Wilton Non-Stick Cookie Pan which is 33.7 x 23.5 cm (13.25 x 9.25 inches)

11. 11

    Arrange the halloumi and potato wedges on top, then sprinkle over the extra herbs and salt

12. 12

    Leave to rise for 30 minutes, and pre-heat your oven to 200C Fan/425F/Gas Mark 7

13. 13

    Bake for 25 minutes until golden

14. 14

    Allow to cool, slice and serve, or serve warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. It also freezes well