Italian mountain focaccia with chestnuts and coppa

Preparation

This homemade focaccia is the real deal! It’s loaded with sweet Avellino chestnuts grown in the mountainous Apennine region, and coppa, a dry-cured meat made using pork shoulder, which infuses the olive oil-rich bread with bags of flavour as it cooks.

1. Combine the flour, yeast and fine sea salt in a large mixing bowl, then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the lukewarm water. Mix to a wet, sticky dough.

2. Lightly oil your hands then start stretching and folding the dough: reach your hand under the dough in the bowl, pull it up and fold it into the centre. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the action about 20 times in all; the dough will become more elastic but will still be very sticky.

3. Cover the bowl and leave to rest for 20-30 minutes, then fold and stretch the dough again – now that the gluten has started to develop it will be much easier to handle. Repeat the rests and folds twice more, then leave to rise until doubled in size.

4. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 25cm x 35cm roasting tin. Fold the dough again to make it more manageable then gently tip into the tin, turn it over so that it’s coated in oil and stretch out to the edges. It will try and spring back, so leave it to relax for a few minutes, then stretch again. Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7.

5. Use your fingertips to make dimples in the dough and sprinkle with coarse or flaky salt. Roughly chop the chestnuts to add sweetness and pick small sprigs from the rosemary for earthiness. Scatter both over the focaccia, then tear the coppa over the top for punch. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil for richness while still warm. Cut into squares to serve.