SWEET GENOESE FOCACCIA with CHOCOLATE CHIPS if you love the traditional one you can’t miss this!
The classic Genoese Focaccia has long ceased to be a specialty known only in Liguria and has successfully crossed borders to be appreciated practically everywhere in the world, so much so that you can find it almost anywhere without too much difficulty.
What not everyone may know is that there is a sweet version of the Genoese Focaccia, which has nothing to envy of its more famous salty sister!
The Sweet Genoese Focaccia is a specialty with ancient origins that was born in Sestri Levante, a picturesque town in the province of Genoa, boasting one of the most beautiful and romantic beaches in Italy, the Baia del Silenzio, a destination for thousands of tourists every year.
The recipe for Sweet Focaccia is much simpler and more replicable at home than the Genoese Focaccia, a yeasted bread halfway between Brioche Bread and Focaccia, made with flour, milk, sugar, eggs, and butter instead of oil.
What makes it truly special is the brine that is sprinkled at the end on the dough just before baking: a concoction of water, oil, and sugar that seeps into the various classic holes of the focaccia, making it crunchy, greasy, and slightly sweet once cooked for a sweet and salty shock effect in the mouth that makes it so you never get tired of eating it.
You only need to prepare a pre-dough to reactivate the yeast, very easy because it only requires mixing flour, water, and yeast in a bowl, which, once rested, will be added to the other ingredients. Just knead everything and wait for the rising times of the Sweet Genoese Focaccia (about 2 hours) and then bake one of the best sweet leavened breads you’ve ever tasted.
Great for breakfast with a cup of milk or coffee or for a delicious snack, practical to take to school, the office, or on a trip, perfect for a party buffet, and another not negligible advantage, you will make a great impression with little expense: forgive me, but I am Ligurian and I pay attention to these details!
I allowed myself to make a variation to the original recipe of the Sweet Genoese Focaccia by adding dark chocolate chips to the dough, but you can easily leave them out.
If you, like me, are focaccia lovers, don’t miss these recipes too:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: Baking sheet 11 x 12 inches
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 299.10 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 38.85 (g) of which sugars 12.15 (g)
- Proteins 7.02 (g)
- Fat 13.46 (g) of which saturated 2.37 (g)of which unsaturated 0.41 (g)
- Fibers 1.07 (g)
- Sodium 76.70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 60 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SWEET GENOESE FOCACCIA
- 3/4 cup Manitoba flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp fresh brewer's yeast
- 1 tsp sugar (or honey)
- 2 3/4 cup Manitoba flour
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 glass milk
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg (whole)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon zest (or orange zest)
- vanillin (1 sachet)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar (+ for sprinkling after baking)
Tools
- 2 Bowls
- Hand whisk
- Sieve
- Baking sheet
HOW TO MAKE SWEET GENOESE FOCACCIA AT HOME
You can proceed either by hand or with a mixer, in which case the times are obviously shorter. I recommend using the hook.
Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in a bowl together with the water and sugar. Add the flour, mix well with a fork to combine. You will obtain a liquid and quite sticky mixture. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. You will see bubbles appear on the surface when it is ready.
As soon as the starter dough has risen, transfer it into a larger bowl and add room temperature milk (not hot, otherwise it would deactivate the yeast), 2 tbsp of water and the extra virgin olive oil, and mix with a fork. When they are well combined, also add 1 slightly beaten whole egg and the sugar and mix with a hand whisk.
Gradually add the sifted flour, vanillin, and lemon zest into the bowl. Mix with a spoon, then transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and start kneading energetically (it will take about 5 minutes) until the dough becomes smooth and homogeneous. Add the salt and continue kneading for another 2 minutes. The salt is added later so as not to deactivate the yeast. At this point, quickly fold the chocolate chips into the dough. Not too much, otherwise they will start melting due to the heat.
Form a ball with the Sweet Genoese Focaccia dough and place it in a covered bowl to rise until doubled. Depending on the warmth of the room, this will take between 2 to 3 hours. After this time, grease a 11 x 12 inches baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil, place the dough in the center, and stretch it with your hands to cover the entire sheet. Let the focaccia rest for another 30 minutes.
After the last rest, make the classic holes on the surface of the focaccia with your fingertips that characterize the Genoese Focaccia. Then prepare the sweet brine by mixing in a bowl 2 tablespoons of warm water, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Blend the mixture and pour it immediately over the focaccia. Bake in a preheated static oven at 390°F for about 15/18 minutes. The Genoese Focaccia should be golden on the surface. Once baked, sprinkle liberally with granulated sugar. Eat warm or at room temperature: let me know if it is not amazing!
NOTES
FLOUR: For this recipe, the most suitable flour is Manitoba. If you were to replace it with regular All-Purpose flour, the final result would not be the same in terms of focaccia texture.
AROMAS: Both the Lemon zest and vanillin give the Sweet Focaccia a pleasant aroma, do not eliminate them. At most, you can replace the Lemon zest with Orange zest, and vanillin with vanilla bean seeds.
SALT: Please note: for the perfect success of your focaccia, and in general any leavened product, it is important that the yeast does not come into contact with the salt; this is why it is added almost at the end of preparation.
RISING: As you know, rising times in leavened products, whether sweet or savory, are indicative as they depend on many factors. Help yourself by observing and do not fixate on the minutes: the principle you must always keep in mind is that the dough must double so it will be easier to know when it is the right time for the final rise.
FLOUR: For this recipe, the most suitable flour is Manitoba. If you were to replace it with regular All-Purpose flour, the final result would not be the same in terms of focaccia texture.
AROMAS: Both the Lemon zest and vanillin give the Sweet Focaccia a pleasant aroma, do not eliminate them. At most, you can replace the Lemon zest with Orange zest, and vanillin with vanilla bean seeds.
SALT: Please note: for the perfect success of your focaccia, and in general any leavened product, it is important that the yeast does not come into contact with the salt; this is why it is added almost at the end of preparation.
RISING: As you know, rising times in leavened products, whether sweet or savory, are indicative as they depend on many factors. Help yourself by observing and do not fixate on the minutes: the principle you must always keep in mind is that the dough must double so it will be easier to know when it is the right time for the final rise.
STORAGE
Once ready, the Sweet Genoese Focaccia should be eaten and remains soft the day it is baked. You can store it in the freezer, best if already portioned into slices, in food bags for up to a month. Just take it out when needed and warm it a few seconds in the toaster, oven, or microwave.
