Ingredients for Focaccia
500g wheat flour type 0
100g potatoes
120 g sourdough or 6g dry yeast
60ml Extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
5 tsp double-milled durum wheat flour (semola)
380ml water
| Preparation Time | 20 mins |
| Inactive | 4-6 h |
| Baking Time | 40 mins |
| Level | Medium |
| Yield | 1 kg of focaccia |
Focaccia is one of the tastiest and easiest recipes from Puglia. You can make it with cherry tomatoes, or olives, or you can make a simple version with aromatic herbs such as rosemary or others, to your choice. All the way from Conversano (Bari), here is aunt Enza’s original recipe – a simple method you can follow to make your focaccia crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside! And of course, one of the main secrets to it is to choose a good extra virgin olive oil.
We decided to prepare this Focaccia with an EVOO from Apulia by Frantoio Cassese, made from olives of the Ogliarola, Leccino and Frantoio cultivars. Frantoio Cassese is a company that has been operating for four generations in the area of Villa Castelli (Brindisi).
Directions
- Put the potatoes in cold water and boil them over medium heat until very soft. Let them cool, remove the peel and mash them with a fork.
- Dissolve the yeast in 200 ml of warm water; add the sugar and mix.
- Mix the flour, potatoes and extra virgin olive oil together; while stirring, slowly add the water in which you have already dissolved the yeast.
- Add the rest of the water and the salt, and mix vigorously for at least 15’. Once you see bubbles forming in the dough, put it to rest. We normally let it rest in the fridge for a night to obtain a slow levitation which render focaccia super light.
- Prepare the oven tray (at least 30 x 40 cm) – cover the surface with a generous amount of EVOO, and put the focaccia dough on top of it to rise. Leave it until it doubles in size – this will take around 4-6 h.
- Put the toppings of your choice on the focaccia; we chose to make our focaccia with tomatoes, olives and oregano. Pour about 20 ml of EVO Oil on top and salt to taste.
- Heat the oven up to 220°C; once hot, bake the focaccia for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Enjoy your focaccia while hot, as it is or with salumi and cheese fillings to your preference.
