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A stack of Eastern-Style Focaccia topped with thyme sprigs.
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Eastern-Style Focaccia

A recipe for Eastern-Style Focaccia from the cookbook, Persiana! This bread has a Middle Eastern twist with the addition of cumin, coriander, mint, red chili, thyme, nigella seeds, and sumac.
Course Bread
Cuisine N/A
Keyword bread, focaccia, nigella seeds, sumac
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 1 Loaf

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (125 grams) cold sour cream
  • 2/3 cup (150 milliliters) cold water
  • 1/2 cup Scant (100 milliliters) boiling water
  • 3 teaspoons sea salt flakes crushed, plus extra for topping (less if using table salt)
  • 2 teaspoons superfine sugar
  • 1/2 ounce (14 grams) active dry yeast
  • 3 1/2 cups (1 pound 4 ounces/550 grams) white bread flour
  • 3 tablespoons cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon dried mint
  • 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
  • 3/4 cup (200 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves picked
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
  • 1 teaspoon sumac

Instructions

  • Mix the sour cream with the cold and boiling water in a large bowl. Add the salt with the sugar and yeast, then blend in the flour, 2 tablespoons of the cumin seeds, the ground coriander, dried mint, and the chili flakes until the mixture forms a rough ball.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave the dough to rest somewhere warm for 10 minutes to rise.
  • Line a large roasting pan with some parchment paper and place the dough on top. Stretch out the dough to the size of your pan, then using your fingers, poke deep holes all over it. Try not to pierce the dough, but you can be pretty tough with it.
  • Cover the pan with plastic wrap and leave the dough to rest somewhere warm for 1 hour (or longer, if you like).
  • Once the hour is up, preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C. Remove the plastic wrap covering from the dough and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over it, ensuring it covers every nook and cranny. A silicone brush will aid this process.
  • Sprinkle the entire surface of the dough liberally with uncrushed sea salt flakes, thyme leaves, nigella seeds, the remaining cumin seeds, and the sumac.
  • Place the baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.