The Bari-style focaccia is a typical leavened bread from Puglia, mainly spread in the provinces of Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani, and Taranto. This focaccia originated in Altamura from the need to use the initial heat of the oven before baking bread. The recipe of Bari-style focaccia, like all popular recipes, has different variations depending on the territory. The most typical is based on re-milled semolina, boiled potatoes, salt, yeast, and water, to obtain a fairly soft and moist dough, then it is left to rise, spread on a baking sheet greased with abundant extra virgin olive oil, risen again, seasoned, and then baked. There are also various seasoning versions, the simplest with coarse salt and rosemary, with thinly sliced potatoes, and finally the most typical with cherry tomatoes and oregano. It is great enjoyed hot but also cold, either for breakfast or as a snack, take it to the beach, it will be perfect to enjoy under the umbrella.

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Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Cheap
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups re-milled durum wheat semolina
1 1/3 cups water (up to 1 1/2 cups)
7 oz potatoes, peeled, cooked, boiled
2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh yeast
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
10 oz cherry tomatoes
salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
oregano
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (for the baking sheet)

Tools

2 Bowls
1 Baking sheet

Steps

In a bowl, pour the flours and crumbled yeast.
Add the potatoes and gradually the water.
Start kneading first with a wooden spoon and then by hand.
Add the salt.
When the dough is almost formed but still soft, stop adding water.
The water is variable because it depends on the absorption of the flours and in this case also on the potatoes.
Add the oil and work until the dough is smooth and homogeneous.
As soon as the dough is ready, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 75°F.
It should double in size.
Meanwhile, wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half.
Put them in a bowl and season with oil, salt, and a bit of oregano.
Once the focaccia has risen, deflate it and transfer it directly to a greased 12×16-inch baking sheet.
Spread it with your hands.
Place the cherry tomatoes over the entire surface.
Sprinkle with oregano and an additional drizzle of oil, let rest for 45 minutes.
Bake at 390°F for about 30-35 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve hot or cold.