Very soft Genoese sweet focaccia, grandma’s recipe. My grandmother Fernanda often made focacce; they were a perfect dinner-saver, but when it was snack time the Genoese sweet focaccia could not be missing. Grandma actually made the potato-dough focaccia, the cherry tomato focaccia and a thousand other kinds of focacce, but in the afternoons she often baked a focaccia with a fragrant sugary crust that she called “Genoese focaccia” and we loved it. Only later did I discover that focaccia with sugar on top, somewhat similar to our sugar-topped brioches, was a traditional Ligurian recipe. Grandma’s sweet focaccia was super good, soft and delicious, but I must admit her Genoese focaccia recipe was a bit revisited. Being originally from Trentino and married to a man from Catania, many of her recipes became a mix of northern and southern cuisine: thus her Genoese focaccia with butter and sugar transformed into a sweet focaccia based on re-milled semolina and sunflower oil, but with the unmissable sugar-and-butter crust, because as they say: “if you don’t lick your fingers, you only enjoy it halfway!!” The sunflower oil was the secret ingredient that made and kept the focaccia super soft, and for this reason I recommend not replacing it; but if you want to be traditionalists, use butter and Type 0 flour — the result will not disappoint you. Making my grandmother’s Genoese focaccia is not difficult, but the result is a delight that melts in your mouth, a treat adored not only by my children but also by my husband, and it has the wonderful characteristic of staying very soft even the next day! Would you like to try my grandma’s Genoese sweet focaccia recipe? Let’s go to the kitchen — you’ll see this focaccia will make everyone fall in love. Before you put your hands in the dough I suggest you take a look at my special dedicated to focacce and I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
Take a look:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make Genoese sweet focaccia
- 2 1/2 cups re-milled durum wheat semolina (or Type 0 flour (all-purpose))
- 3/4 cup 00 flour (Type 00)
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil (or 6 tbsp (about 80 g) butter)
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/2 packet (≈7 g packet) active dry yeast (or 12 g fresh yeast)
- 1 cup milk (a little less if you use Type 00 flour)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter
- as needed water
Tools
- Bowl
- Baking sheet
- Pastry brush
- Parchment paper
Steps to make the sweet focaccia
Put the flours in a bowl: you can use semolina as I did or replace it with Type 00 flour. Add the yeast and mix it in the bowl with half of the milk. Add the sugar and mix again.
Pour in the oil or melted butter, add the salt and a little more milk, mix roughly, pour in the rest of the liquid and mix again, then let rest for 10 minutes. Depending on the flour used, remember to adjust the amount of liquid by adding it little by little — semolina usually absorbs more liquid than Type 00 flour.
Knead in the bowl and then move to the work surface.
Work the dough without adding extra flour; initially it will be very sticky, but after about ten minutes it will gain consistency and you will be able to shape a smooth, homogeneous loaf. Having a stand mixer will make everything easier, so use it if you can.
Place the dough in a bowl, cover with cling film and keep it in a warm place — for example, in the oven with the light on — so it can triple in volume. This may take two to three hours, but times are indicative. In any case, wait until the dough has tripled.
Once risen, turn the dough out onto a baking sheet about 10 x 12 inches (25 x 30 cm) lined with parchment paper, and, with lightly oiled hands and without deflating it too much, spread the dough until it covers the whole sheet. Keep it in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled. When risen, use your fingertips to make the classic dimples in the focaccia and brush all over with melted butter.
Sprinkle generously with sugar and brush lightly with water. Bake in a hot oven at 392°F on the lower-middle rack (second-from-bottom position) in convection mode for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown; do the same with a conventional oven. Be careful that the sugar does not burn — if necessary, reduce the temperature a little. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before enjoying.
Our sweet focaccia is ready to be served. Any leftovers can be wrapped well in parchment paper and enjoyed the next day.
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