Italian focaccia with potato and tomato, soft oven bread for everyone

Potato makes the dough soft and moist, while olive oil, tomatoes and basil give it an Italian character. The result is an aromatic focaccia-style bake that is delicious both warm from the oven and cooled. Sprinkling sea salt on top gives it a crispy finish.

Potato-based focaccia is a simple way to bring Italian cooking to your home oven. Grated potato adds moisture and softness to the dough, so while the bake doesn't rise particularly high, it is all the more flavourful and juicy.

To prepare the dough, potatoes are grated on a coarse grater and mixed with flour, olive oil, yeast, egg, salt and herbs. The dough is kneaded until it is even and comes away from the hand and bowl sides. It is then placed in a baking tin lined with baking paper, about 20 centimetres deep, pressed out towards the edges, and left to rise in a warm place under a clean cloth for approximately three hours.

Once the dough has risen, heat the oven to 200 degrees. Cut the tomatoes in half and press them into the dough. Drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in the middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and fragrant.

Fresh basil can be added to the finished bake, giving the bread a final Italian touch. The dough may seem undersalted, but crunching on the sea salt flakes means every mouthful has just the right amount of savoury finish.