Bari-style focaccia with potatoes is a typical Apulian recipe, characterized by being a focaccia soft inside and crunchy outside. It’s delicious.
I discovered it when, as a teenager, I spent a few days in a town in the province of Bari, in Barletta, at a friend’s house.
A focaccia different from the focaccia from my hometown La Spezia, which I was and am used to.
Bari-style focaccia is usually made with all-purpose flour, re-milled semolina flour, boiled potato, topped with cherry tomatoes, black olives, and oregano.
As with all Italian regional traditional recipes, there are many variations of this focaccia, which change from family to family.
I want to offer you my version, which I made following some advice from a Pugliese friend, and for my family’s taste, I didn’t add the black olives.
The quantity is for a 12.5-inch round pan. The tip I give you for great success is to respect the leavening times I wrote both in the first and second phases and you’ll see how delicious it is.
The cherry tomatoes should be opened by hand and broken directly over the focaccia so that their juice drips onto the surface, soaking and flavoring the focaccia and giving it a more appetizing and golden color.
To finish and to season, use oil, oregano, and fine salt. And you’ll taste extraordinary goodness.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 5 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 476.35 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 70.05 (g) of which sugars 14.13 (g)
- Proteins 11.63 (g)
- Fat 19.28 (g) of which saturated 2.79 (g)of which unsaturated 0.87 (g)
- Fibers 3.94 (g)
- Sodium 1,075.84 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 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
Ingredients for Bari-style Focaccia with Potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup re-milled semolina flour
- 3/4 cup water (warm 70°F)
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt (fine)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 6 fresh yeast (3 dry)
- 2.8 oz potato (weight raw, peeled)
- 12.3 oz cherry tomatoes
- to taste dried oregano
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt (fine)
Tools
- Baking Pan
- Bowl
- Kitchen Scale
- Pot
- Potato Masher
- Plastic Wrap
Steps for Bari-style Focaccia with Potatoes
Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water, then let them cool slightly, peel them, and mash them with a potato masher.
Knead together the all-purpose and semolina flours with water, mashed potatoes, crumbled yeast, and oil.
Finally, add the salt once the other ingredients are already mixed together.
Work the dough for 10 minutes, then transfer the mixture to a slightly oiled airtight container and wait for the dough to double in size.
(I put the dough in the turned-off oven with the light on).
Let it rise for 4/5 hours.
When the dough has more than doubled.
Grease the circular pan with a diameter of about 12.5 inches and place the dough ball in the center, cover with plastic wrap, and wait about an hour and a half.
In the meantime, proceed with the spreading and seasoning of the focaccia.
With your fingers, press the dough and spread it to cover the entire surface of the pan, then break the cherry tomatoes, well washed, with your hands directly over the focaccia with the skin facing up.
I didn’t add them, but if you want (you can add the black olives as well). Let it rest for another half an hour.
Season with extra virgin olive oil, about 4/5 tablespoons, oregano, and fine salt.
Preheat the oven to 482°F, static mode.
Bake in a static oven at 482°F for about 20/22 minutes.
Until the surface is golden and slightly browned in some spots.
Enjoy your meal.
Tips
To achieve dough of the right consistency, it’s essential to use durum wheat semolina flour: choose the re-milled type suitable for doughs and baking.
Even the potatoes are fundamental: they must be dry and firm, preferably yellow-fleshed.
Thanks to the addition of potatoes in the dough, Bari-style focaccia keeps well for a couple of days at room temperature: to enjoy it at its best, just warm it for a few minutes in the oven.
Thanks to the addition of potatoes in the dough, Bari-style focaccia keeps well for a couple of days at room temperature: to enjoy it at its best, just warm it for a few minutes in the oven.
If you want, you can also freeze it already portioned.
If you liked this recipe, click on many stars, thank you very much.
I’m waiting for you in my group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/488624465780860
or on my page: https://www.facebook.com/gustoamoreefantasie
