4 – 5 beets
340ml water and beetroot-water, lukewarm
10g dry yeast
10ml sugar
10ml salt
20ml olive oil
500g cake flour
100g feta cheese, crumbed
rosemary sprigs
extra olive oil to drizzle
Peel the beetroot and cut it into chunks. Cover with water and cook until a sharp knife easily pierces the beet chunks.
Remove the beetroot from the cooking liquid, but reserve the liquid.
Mash enough of the soft beetroot so that you have 45ml of pulp. (Keep the rest of the cooked beetroot in the refrigerator and add it to a salad).
Measure 340ml of the beetroot water in a jug. If you don’t have enough, fill it to measurement with tap water.
Warm the water so that it is lukewarm.
Add the yeast, sugar and olive oil to the water and stir to dissolve. Set aside.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low speed.
Add the yeast mixture and the 45ml beetroot pulp and turn the mixer to medium speed. Knead for about 4 minutes.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Set aside to rise for 1 -2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 38cm X 25cm baking tray with non-stick spray.
Transfer the dough to the baking tray and gently start spreading it by pushing down on it with the tips of your fingers. Keep pushing and prodding the dough until it fills the entire tray.
Break the feta and spread over the dough.
Add a few sprigs of rosemary and then drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the dough.
Lightly cover the bread with a plastic bag and allow to rise for about 20 minutes.
Bake the risen bread for 30 minutes.
My Whisk and I 