Blueberry focaccia

Name: Blueberry focaccia
Ingredients: 1 orange (zest only, pared away in strips with a vegetable peeler); 1 lemon (zest only, pared away in strips with a vegetable peeler); 75 g caster sugar; 500 g strong white bread flour; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 40 g butter (diced); 3 tsp fast-action dried yeast; 1 free-range egg (beaten); 250-300 ml warm milk and water mixed; 150 g blueberries; extra flour and semolina (optional) for shaping

Brought to you by Seasonal Berries

This blueberry focaccia is fruity, zesty, and downright delicious!

Whether it's to slice up as part of an afternoon tea or as an alternative to a breakfast muffin, you can't go far wrong when offering up a blueberry focaccia. Crisp crust meets a soft inside, punctuated with bursts of blueberry flavour in this delicious recipe from Seasonal Berries. Try it yourself using the hints and tips below!

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1 large loaf

Servings

Ingredients

1 orange (zest only, pared away in strips with a vegetable peeler)
1 lemon (zest only, pared away in strips with a vegetable peeler)
75 g caster sugar
500 g strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
40 g butter (diced)
3 tsp fast-action dried yeast
1 free-range egg (beaten)
250-300 ml warm milk and water mixed
150 g blueberries
extra flour and semolina (optional) for shaping

Instructions

Finely chop the fruit zests and mix with half the sugar. 

Add the flour, salt, cinnamon and butter to a large bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the chopped fruit zests and sugar mix, then the yeast. 

Add the egg to the flour, then gradually mix in enough warm milk and water to mix the flour to a soft dough; you may have a little liquid left. Knead for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic. 

Sprinkle the work surface with extra flour and semolina, if using, then gradually knead in the blueberries and remaining sugar, twisting and pulling the bread until they have all been mixed in. Try not to overwork the dough, so that the blueberries stay whole. Shape into an oval-shaped loaf about 23cm (9in) long and put on to a floured baking sheet. Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45-60 minutes, until the dough is well risen. While the bread rises, preheat the oven to 220ºC/Gas Mark 7. 

Remove the clingfilm, sprinkle the bread with a little extra flour, then bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and the base of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack and serve while still warm.