The Apulian Focaccia with Sourdough Starter is one of those traditional Italian preparations I couldn’t skip, especially after last summer’s trip to Apulia! It always achieves great success when I make it: soft, juicy, and oily, it disappears in a flash! Like its Tuscan sister, the schiacciata, the Apulian focaccia is also loved by both adults and children and is the soul of any family gathering! If I have piqued your interest, tie up your apron and come with me! I also leave you some recipe links that I think might interest you!😊
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 2 Days
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
The main ingredient of the Apulian focaccia is remilled semolina, the queen flour of all Apulian preparations. I chose to use mostly Senatore Cappelli semolina, which has a lower glycemic index, is more rustic, and has a more persistent aromatic taste. On the downside, being more “whole grain” it may sometimes be a bit less soft and airy, although this depends a lot on the different mills. For a tall focaccia, I recommend using all “normal” semolina flour.
- 1 1/2 cups remilled durum wheat semolina (Senatore Cappelli)
- 1 cup remilled durum wheat semolina
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter (refreshed and doubled)
- 3/4 cup potatoes (boiled and mashed)
- 1 tsp barley malt (powder)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 cup black olives (pitted)
- 3 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Tools
To make the Apulian focaccia with sourdough starter you don’t need much. Certainly, the most useful is the stand mixer (or dough mixer), but it is still doable with a bowl and a bit of elbow grease!
- 1 Stand Mixer
- 1 Pastry Board
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Baking Pan round 12.5 inches
- 1 parchment paper
Steps
As with all preparations with sourdough starter, this Apulian focaccia also requires a long fermentation and maturation, whose times depend on many variables such as the health of your sourdough starter, the humidity of the environment, or the temperature of your home. Generally, a sourdough starter in good condition should double in 4 hours at a temperature of 79°F.
Break the refreshed sourdough starter and doubled into pieces in the bowl of the stand mixer. Add 70 ml of water and dissolve it using the paddle attachment.
It should become a thick milky liquid full of bubbles, indicating that the starter is very active. Let it run a bit longer by adding the barley malt before moving on to the next step.
Once the barley malt has completely dissolved, begin to add alternately the remilled semolina and the remaining water in at least two or three rounds, making sure to let the flour absorb the liquid before adding more.
Once the dough is compact, dense, and elastic, add the mashed potatoes.
I recommend mashing them well while they are hot because it becomes more difficult once they cool down.
Continue to incorporate the potatoes into the dough, and when everything is uniform, switch to the hook. At medium speed, add the oil and finish with the salt.
Increase the speed to encourage gluten development, and once it’s achieved, transfer the dough to a bowl greased with a little oil.
In the bowl let the dough rest for 45 minutes, then do 3 rounds of simple folds at half-hour intervals. Cover with plastic wrap or silicone lids (I prefer these as they are a more ecological choice).
At this point, you can choose whether to wait for it to double at room temperature and then proceed with the rest of the recipe, or after an hour, place it in the fridge where it will mature. I prefer the latter for organizational reasons.
The next day, take the dough out of the refrigerator, let it acclimate, and then on the pastry board spread the dough, make a wallet fold and let it rest for half an hour under a bowl. This will give structure to the dough and restart the fermentation.
Grease the baking pan (or alternatively, grease the parchment paper placed on the pan) and place the dough on it.
With your fingertips, start from the center and gently spread it towards the edges, being careful not to break the fermentation bubbles trapped in the dough. Continue until it begins to shrink back.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and wait at least an hour before continuing the spreading. This will allow the dough to relax and make it much easier to complete the process without breaking or tearing it.
After cutting the cherry tomatoes and olives in half, garnish the Apulian focaccia with sourdough starter, filling all its parts and pressing them well into the dough.
I chose mixed cherry tomatoes because I like them both visually and in taste, but tradition would only have red ones. Finish with plenty of oil, a sprinkle of oregano, and some salt.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 450°F and let it heat up. Of course, this step depends a lot on your oven’s timing, so if the oven heats up much longer, it’s worth turning it on during the last stretching of the dough instead of while garnishing the Apulian focaccia with sourdough starter.
Bake it for 15/25 minutes, always based on your oven’s performance. Having a stone refractory (which is really useful for increasing the temperature and baking pizzas, bread, and focaccias!) I have to wait a bit longer to heat it well, but it takes much less time to bake what is placed on it.
When the Apulian focaccia with sourdough starter is golden brown, and the cherry tomatoes are well baked, take it out of the oven and let it cool for about twenty minutes before serving. Slice it and then enjoy!
Storage and Tips
The Apulian focaccia with sourdough starter is delicious even the next day, although I assure you it hardly lasts that long. The base is perfect for creating different interpretations according to your imagination (don’t let the Apulians hear me!); especially grilled vegetables or oil-preserved eggplants upon exit. If this recipe intrigued you, you can also check out my Ligurian focaccia with cheese or the soft focaccia with squacquerone.
Follow me on Instagram for more recipes and tips, and also to tell me if you make this delicious focaccia! I look forward to it!
