Olive And Anchovy Focaccia With Sun Dried Tomato Pesto - cooking recipe

Ingredients

350 g plain flour
10 g dried active yeast, dissolved in 125ml lukewarm water
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
6 None anchovy fillets, 3 cut into 5 pieces each, 3 roughly chopped
12 sprigs fresh thyme, little set aside for garnish, remaining leaves stripped from stems
15 None pitted green olives
15 None pitted black olives
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp semi-skimmed milk
30 g pine nuts
1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
100 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped, plus 3-4 tbsp of the oil
20 g Parmesan, grated

Preparation

Quickly knead the flour, yeasted water, salt, and 2 tbsp oil with the dough hook of a mixer into a smooth dough, adding a little water if the dough is too dry. Cover and allow to rest in a warm place for 30 mins.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. On a floured work surface, knead the roughly chopped anchovies and half the thyme into the dough. Roll out into a 9-10 inch circle and place on the baking sheet. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, make 15 indentions over the top of the loaf. Place a piece of anchovy and either a black or a green olive in each hole. Cover and allow to rest for 15 mins.
Preheat the oven to 400\u00b0F. Sprinkle the loaf with the sea salt and remaining thyme and drizzle with 1 tbsp oil. Bake for 15 mins, then brush with the milk. Bake for a further 5 mins, until a skewer comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack, cover with a tea towel and allow to cool a little.
Toast pine nuts in a small, dry pan until browned. Allow to cool. Place in a blender or food processor with the garlic and tomatoes and chop finely. Stir in the tomato oil and Parmesan and season with salt and black pepper.
Serve the bread warm or cold with the tomato pesto and remaining olives and garnished with thyme.