The definitive focaccia for the Fourth of July

Dissolve the dry yeast in warm water in a bowl, then add the flour and sugar and mix everything together with your hands.

Make a crater in the middle of the mixture and add the water. Work in the mixture from outside in.

Slowly add the olive oil, together with ½ tsp salt.

Knead the dough on the worktop for a few minutes and once you’ve made a compact ball, sprinkle some flour on top and knead for about 15 minutes more, until it has an elastic texture.

Sprinkle some flour into a bowl, add the dough, cover with a cotton cloth and leave in a cool place for an hour to rise. Then knead it gently again and you’re ready to make the focaccia.

To make the focaccia, first of all you need to grease the oven pan with extra-virgin olive oil. Then roll out the dough with a rolling pin on the worktop and then arrange it in the oven pan, pushing it carefully into the corners so that it keeps it shape.    

Brush the surface of the dough with extra-virgin olive oil and arrange the sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced beet on top. Sprinkle with a little fresh oregano.

Bake at 475 ºF for about 15 minutes (you can cover it with some aluminum foil to stop it burning on top).

Take out of the oven and decorate the beet slices with star-shaped dabs of cream cheese.