The Traditional Bari Focaccia is a typical Apulian recipe. It starts with a leavened dough and is then covered with halved cherry tomatoes, olives, oregano, and lots of oil. You can reduce the amount of yeast by letting it rise for more hours. It should not be too tall and needs to be baked in a very hot oven. If you want to give an extra taste to the traditional recipe, try adding some Genoese pesto as in this recipe.
Other recipes
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Puglia
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups Water (approximately)
- 1 tsp Fresh yeast
- 2 tsps Fine salt
- 1/3 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil (plus more for greasing the pan)
- 14 oz Cherry tomatoes
- 5 tbsps Tomato sauce
- 20 Pitted Bari olives (or your choice)
- to taste Oregano
- to taste Fine salt
Tools
- Kitchen scale
- Bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Baking tray cm.28
Steps
Put the flour in a bowl, make a hole in the middle, and crumble in the yeast. On the side, put the salt so it doesn’t come into contact with the yeast. Gradually pour the lukewarm water on the yeast and dissolve it with a spoon. Continue adding more water and pulling the flour into the middle. The dough should be soft. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for a few hours. I let it rise for 8 hours for a lighter dough.
Grease the tray well, pour in the dough, and spread it with oiled hands. Let it rest for another hour, then arrange the tomato sauce on the surface, the halved cherry tomatoes facing down, and the olives, which I preferred without pits.
Sprinkle generously with oregano, add salt, and drizzle the entire focaccia with a mixture of water and oil. Bake in a very hot oven at max temperature (mine is 482°F). For the first 10 minutes, place the tray on the oven base, then move the tray to the middle and continue baking for another 25 minutes, lowering the temperature to 392°F for the last 10 minutes. Serve hot.
