Mushrooms on Homemade Vegan Focaccia

Photography by Simeon Crofts

DIETARY – Vegan/Vegetarian/Nut-free

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the tastiest, and this is very true for my take on a classic mushrooms on toast. I am a huge fan of making my own bread and I encourage everyone to try it at least once in their life as the result is quite unlike anything you’ll ever buy. Sneaking a wedge of warm focaccia fresh from the oven is a taste sensation you just won’t find on a shelf! Making bread might seem daunting, but as long as you measure out your ingredients and follow the recipe carefully, it’s foolproof. And, yes, I know it’s time-consuming, but it’s also really easy. You can set and forget while it proves and enjoy doing something else. My top tip is to activate the yeast first as I’ve described in step 1. This is not only a great way to check your yeast is still alive before you go to the effort of making the bread, but it gets it working before you even add it, guaranteeing a successful prove.

I love making this dish for lunch, dinner, as a starter or simply for sharing with friends. Whether you’re vegan or not, this is a real crowd-pleaser and so moreish you’ll want seconds. Best of all, the bread can be made a couple of days in advance and the mushroom mix can be whipped up in only 15 minutes. Focaccia is just perfect for mopping up all the lovely juices from the mushrooms. Both the focaccia and mushroom mix will keep for around four days in an airtight container.

If you haven’t heard of focaccia before, it’s a flat leavened Italian bread that is often used for sandwiches and sometimes even as a pizza base. It’s recognisable by its dimples often stuffed with fresh rosemary or garlic cloves and a good drizzling of olive oil. It should rise to be quite a thick bread but it’s soft as a pillow to eat. If you have some focaccia leftover, simply revive it in the oven for 10 minutes to bring it back to life.

When it comes to the mushroom mix, you can really play around with flavours you like. I have chosen classic flavours for mine as they really make the mushrooms sing, but other delicious combinations include tarragon, rosemary and white wine. My top mushrooms to use for the mix includes shitake, chestnut, oyster, enoki and king oyster. These are such a delicious blend of sizes, textures and flavours when used together and they can often be purchased in one bundle as an exotic or risotto mushroom mix at the supermarket.

All good things come to those who wait, and this is one recipe worth waiting for!

Mushrooms on Homemade Vegan Focaccia

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Makes: 4-6

Soft, pillowy focaccia bread topped with herby, moreish mushrooms is a match made in heaven that even non-vegans will love!

Ingredients

For the focaccia:

• 450ml warm water
• 1 packet (7g) instant yeast
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 650g bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tbsp salt
• 150ml olive oil, plus extra to serve
• Pinch of sea salt flakes
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp dried rosemary

For the mushrooms:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 500g mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• Generous grind of salt and pepper
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Splash of marsala wine
• 1 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1½ tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1. First, measure out your lukewarm water and stir in the yeast and sugar. You do not need a smooth mix, just a quick stir will do. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, measure out your flour and mix with salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the water, which should now have a foamy head (this means your yeast has activated) and 2 tbsp of your olive oil.
3. Using a spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed. The dough will be slightly sticky.
4. Sprinkle your kitchen surface with extra bread flour and tip the dough out on to it. Knead for around 10 minutes until the dough is soft and far less sticky.
5. Place your dough into an oiled bowl, cover and set aside in a warm place to prove for at least 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
6. Oil a rectangle tin (approximately 9 x 13 inches in size) and, once proved, carefully tip your dough into the tin and stretch to fill it. Cover with a clean tea towel or oiled clingfilm and set aside to prove for another 45 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, you can prepare your mushroom mix. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil, then add the mushrooms. Gently cook for 5-10 minutes.
8. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, then add the chilli flakes and season generously with salt and pepper.
9. Deglaze the pan with the juice of a half a lemon and a good glug of marsala wine and cook for 3-5 minutes until the liquid has reduced.
10. Stir through the chilli flakes, fresh thyme and parsley, then take off the heat and set aside. If making this in advance, in can be cooled and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
11. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C (200°C Fan)/425°F/Gas Mark 7.
12. Once the bread has finished proving, press your fingers evenly in rows to make dimples. Mix together the remaining olive oil with the sea salt, minced garlic and rosemary, and brush over the dough until used up.
13. Bake the focaccia for around 20-25 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch. The underside should feel crisp. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting into triangles, drizzling with olive oil and spooning over the warm mushrooms.

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