Lately I’m a lot into experiments with fresh yeast. As a friend always tells me, for 500 g of Manitoba flour 10 g of fresh yeast are enough, and not 25 g as they always tell you in books. Well, if I don’t try I don’t believe it, so I’ve tried, and it is true! Even better!
For this herb focaccia you can use any herb you like (better Mediterranean herbs, such as thyme, basil or mint), I’ve used rosemary and sage because they are the classic mix, and I needed something classic!

500 g of Manitoba flour
1/2 cube of fresh yeast (about 10 grams)
2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
250 ml of warm water (not too hot)

For the topping:
Extra virgin olive oil, sage, rosemary and coarse sea salt

Melt the yeast with the sugar and too spoonful of warm water. Let it rest for 10-20 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (except those for the topping), and mix well to obtain a smooth and soft dough. Let it rise for at 1 hour, in a warm place, covered with a wet tea towel.
After the first rise, knead it a bit, and let it rise again in two oiled cake tin. Once it doubled its volume, sprinkle it with the topping ingredients and cook in the oven at the highest temperature for 30 minutes or until golden.

For the recap of this week-end Herb Bloggin, please visit Cate at Sweetnicks.