This bread is so satisfying and easy to make and any left overs can be toasted for a super crunchy bruschetta.

I have adapted this from a recipe I found in Three Guys in Miami cook Cuban available from Amazon.

1/2 teaspoon fruit sugar (it’s much sweeter soyou don’t need to use as much as regular sugar)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup warm water (not boiling)

I packet yeast

2 cups white flour

2 Cups Chopped fresh rosemary, sage or oregano plus extra for garnishing

Salt

Black pepper

Olive oil to garnish

Whisk the sugar with the warm water and yeast and leave it covered up with a clean tea towel somewhere warm, for about 45 minutes.It will froth up and then go flat again, the original recipe says leave it for 10 minutes but I have found leaving it longer somehow results in the bread being much lighter and bouncy

Take a large mixing bowl and pour in the yeast mixture. A little at a time sift in the flour and salt, along with the herbs of your choice, making sure you integrate the herbs well into the mixture.

Use a knife to cut in to the dough and when all the flour and herbs are added use your hands to knead it together.It’s quite easy with this recipe to gauge how much flour you need. If the dough is too dry add a little olive oil to make it more malleable, if it’s too moist add a little more flour.

Knead the dough for about five minutes, rolling into a ball and pushing it back down, to release the gluten in the flour.

In another bowl pour a little olive oil to coat the bottom of it, and put the dough in. Cover it with the tea towel and leave it for about 50 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C

After 50 minutes the dough should have risen happily into an adorable puffy ball, twice the size it originally was. Punch it back and place it on an oiled baking tray.

Use your hands to flatten it slightly and form it into an oval shape, then make indents with your finger in the dough.

Bake it for 10 minutes, then take it out and drizzle with olive oil and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with another liberal drizzle of olive oil, your herb of choice sprinkled on top and salt and pepper.

Eat drink and be merry!