Apulian focaccia
Bari focaccia is undoubtedly the GRANDMA of all focaccia recipes and it's not hard to see why. Once you bite into a slice of this golden disc of goodness, the sweet cherry tomatoes mixed with dried oregano and sea salt will transport you to the seaside in Bari, Italy. 😍
The original recipe of Apulian focaccia, crunchy and not too thick, just as the Bari tradition wants. Many tomatoes on the surface, olives and plenty of extra virgin olive oil of the good one. The recipe is quite easy and being made with brewer's yeast is also quite fast. If you want you could also enrich it with potatoes, onions and capers.
It's still not too hot outside and we can still afford to turn on the oven. The desire to knead should not appease before July and now they begin to be the good and tasty tomatoes, those of the season. The idea of proposing a focaccia excited me a lot, also because the desire for carbohydrates never leaves my life and I believe also from the lives of many. It is very practical because you can take it anywhere, even for a picnic since now comes the summer and above all you can eat it with cabbage if you want, because a piece of focaccia is hard to resist regardless of whether it is morning or two in the morning.
Remaining on the subject of summer and Mediterranean products, I decided to propose the focaccia Barese, that focaccia not too thick, crunchy outside and soft inside, full of chopped tomatoes on top, olives, oregano and the characteristic of this focaccia, but in reality of many focaccia, is that it is rich in extra virgin olive oil. It is necessary to choose a quality extra virgin olive oil, perhaps from Puglia, characterized by spicy notes to have an authentic focaccia in flavor. Trust that the choice of ingredients is a lot important for the final result. This rule was revealed to me by an authentic grandmother from Puglia whom I met last year at a cooking show. After the recipe she approached in the company of her daughter and granddaughter and told me that she wanted at all costs to give me the recipe for Apulian focaccia.
I marked all the ingredients and the steps on my mobile phone and the doses she indicated to me just in grandmother style: 1/4 kg of durum wheat flour, 1/3 of normal flour, 1 glass of oil, water is what you need to have a "normal" dough. I loved all this and I won't tell you how honored and amazed I was. I will seem exaggerated but I did not expect such a generosity since especially in recent years, apart from in rare cases, people are increasingly jealous of their things, including family recipes. (go to the tips at the bottom for all other secrets...)
Procedure
In a bowl pour half warm water and dissolve the brewer's yeast together with the sugar. Then add the flour and begin to knead but without mixing the ingredients too much. Now salt and add the mashed boiled potato twice with the potato masher so it will be even finer and easier to mix. Finish pouring all the water (and add a little at a time because the water is indicative since the potato, for example, may have absorbed more or less water during cooking), the dough must be slightly sticky, knead until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, then transfer it to the work surface and incorporate the oil slowly until it absorbs everything. Divide the dough in half, form two spheres and place them spaced in a rectangular baking tray lightly greased with oil. Maybe grease the surface of the spheres to prevent them from drying out, cover softly with plastic wrap or a cloth and let rise in a warm place free of drafts for about 2 and a half hours. Take two baking trays of about 32 cm in diameter with a fairly thin bottom, pour two tablespoons of oil on each and spread it as best you can.Put a leavened ball on the first baking tray and roll it out with your fingertips. Now add half of the tomatoes that you will split with your hands directly over the focaccia and that you will distribute evenly, then add the olives (also cut in half if you want) dried oregano, 4 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Do the same thing with the other baking tray. Especially the tomatoes will seem excessive but in reality they are perfect for having a wonderful and rich focaccia Barese. There is no need to make it rise. Let's cook it immediately in a preheated oven at 250 ° 270 °C in static mode for 15 minutes in the lower part of the oven and then for another 15 minutes in the central part. Obviously when you move the first pan in the central part in the lower part you can arrange the second pan, so you will optimize the time. Enjoy it warm or cold. It is always perfect, even at breakfast.
RECOMMENDATIONS
She told me that to have a perfect result as well as the quality of the ingredients (which was once practically taken for granted given every family that produced its own oil, its own tomatoes, its own wheat) it is also important the type of trays. Much better an iron baking pan of the size of 32 cm to have the perfect thickness and above all that it does not have a thick bottom, to allow the lower part of the focaccia to brown perfectly and become crispy as it should be.
To make the dough I used type 1 flour not to have it too refined but you could obviously choose the classic white flour. I preferred a semi-whole meal even if not too raw to have a perfect balance in the flavor and color of the dough. The boiled potato instead serves to give it the right humidity, so do not forget it. They are only 120-150 g but they are essential to keep the dough soft and soft inside, to contrast the outside, nice crunchy.
The choice of tomatoes for filling is very important. Choose a variety that is halfway between cherry tomatoes and tomatoes. She explained to me that this is the best choice because cherry tomatoes contain little pulp and have more skin while large ones too much water. The best varieties are the Apulian tondini, the Vesuvian, and the piccadilly tomatoes... Then the oregano I recommend, dry, which is more fragrant, quality olives, better if Apulian, a pinch of salt and a nice drop of good oil. Let me know if you liked this recipe and if you will try it.
Bari focaccia is undoubtedly the GRANDMA of all focaccia recipes and it's not hard to see why. Once you bite into a slice of this golden disc of goodness, the sweet cherry tomatoes mixed with dried oregano and sea salt will transport you to the seaside in Bari, Italy. 😍
The original recipe of Apulian focaccia, crunchy and not too thick, just as the Bari tradition wants. Many tomatoes on the surface, olives and plenty of extra virgin olive oil of the good one. The recipe is quite easy and being made with brewer's yeast is also quite fast. If you want you could also enrich it with potatoes, onions and capers.
It's still not too hot outside and we can still afford to turn on the oven. The desire to knead should not appease before July and now they begin to be the good and tasty tomatoes, those of the season. The idea of proposing a focaccia excited me a lot, also because the desire for carbohydrates never leaves my life and I believe also from the lives of many. It is very practical because you can take it anywhere, even for a picnic since now comes the summer and above all you can eat it with cabbage if you want, because a piece of focaccia is hard to resist regardless of whether it is morning or two in the morning.
Remaining on the subject of summer and Mediterranean products, I decided to propose the focaccia Barese, that focaccia not too thick, crunchy outside and soft inside, full of chopped tomatoes on top, olives, oregano and the characteristic of this focaccia, but in reality of many focaccia, is that it is rich in extra virgin olive oil. It is necessary to choose a quality extra virgin olive oil, perhaps from Puglia, characterized by spicy notes to have an authentic focaccia in flavor. Trust that the choice of ingredients is a lot important for the final result. This rule was revealed to me by an authentic grandmother from Puglia whom I met last year at a cooking show. After the recipe she approached in the company of her daughter and granddaughter and told me that she wanted at all costs to give me the recipe for Apulian focaccia.
I marked all the ingredients and the steps on my mobile phone and the doses she indicated to me just in grandmother style: 1/4 kg of durum wheat flour, 1/3 of normal flour, 1 glass of oil, water is what you need to have a "normal" dough. I loved all this and I won't tell you how honored and amazed I was. I will seem exaggerated but I did not expect such a generosity since especially in recent years, apart from in rare cases, people are increasingly jealous of their things, including family recipes. (go to the tips at the bottom for all other secrets...)
Procedure
In a bowl pour half warm water and dissolve the brewer's yeast together with the sugar. Then add the flour and begin to knead but without mixing the ingredients too much. Now salt and add the mashed boiled potato twice with the potato masher so it will be even finer and easier to mix. Finish pouring all the water (and add a little at a time because the water is indicative since the potato, for example, may have absorbed more or less water during cooking), the dough must be slightly sticky, knead until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, then transfer it to the work surface and incorporate the oil slowly until it absorbs everything. Divide the dough in half, form two spheres and place them spaced in a rectangular baking tray lightly greased with oil. Maybe grease the surface of the spheres to prevent them from drying out, cover softly with plastic wrap or a cloth and let rise in a warm place free of drafts for about 2 and a half hours. Take two baking trays of about 32 cm in diameter with a fairly thin bottom, pour two tablespoons of oil on each and spread it as best you can.
Put a leavened ball on the first baking tray and roll it out with your fingertips. Now add half of the tomatoes that you will split with your hands directly over the focaccia and that you will distribute evenly, then add the olives (also cut in half if you want) dried oregano, 4 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Do the same thing with the other baking tray. Especially the tomatoes will seem excessive but in reality they are perfect for having a wonderful and rich focaccia Barese. There is no need to make it rise. Let's cook it immediately in a preheated oven at 250 ° 270 °C in static mode for 15 minutes in the lower part of the oven and then for another 15 minutes in the central part. Obviously when you move the first pan in the central part in the lower part you can arrange the second pan, so you will optimize the time. Enjoy it warm or cold. It is always perfect, even at breakfast.
RECOMMENDATIONS
She told me that to have a perfect result as well as the quality of the ingredients (which was once practically taken for granted given every family that produced its own oil, its own tomatoes, its own wheat) it is also important the type of trays. Much better an iron baking pan of the size of 32 cm to have the perfect thickness and above all that it does not have a thick bottom, to allow the lower part of the focaccia to brown perfectly and become crispy as it should be.
To make the dough I used type 1 flour not to have it too refined but you could obviously choose the classic white flour. I preferred a semi-whole meal even if not too raw to have a perfect balance in the flavor and color of the dough. The boiled potato instead serves to give it the right humidity, so do not forget it. They are only 120-150 g but they are essential to keep the dough soft and soft inside, to contrast the outside, nice crunchy.
The choice of tomatoes for filling is very important. Choose a variety that is halfway between cherry tomatoes and tomatoes. She explained to me that this is the best choice because cherry tomatoes contain little pulp and have more skin while large ones too much water. The best varieties are the Apulian tondini, the Vesuvian, and the piccadilly tomatoes... Then the oregano I recommend, dry, which is more fragrant, quality olives, better if Apulian, a pinch of salt and a nice drop of good oil. Let me know if you liked this recipe and if you will try it.
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