Apulian focaccia with potatoes, here is the recipe I love most to make at home. After several attempts to understand the difference between Apulian focaccia, possibly with potatoes, and pizza or Bari focaccia without, but with semolina, I have concluded that no one will be able to tell me what the true recipe is for either, so I continue to make the one I like best. Today I am giving you a new version of the Apulian focaccia. On the blog, I already had the classic one, using cherry tomatoes and olives, without peeled tomatoes, but since I tried it with peeled tomatoes, I assure you it has become even better. We start with an already delicious base, with a dough made of wheat flour and potatoes, even though I admit I also tried it without potatoes and with semolina, but it is not as good. For the topping, good oil, oregano, cherry tomatoes, and olives, plus the peeled tomatoes, and then I would say let’s try it together.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 1 focaccia of 12.6 inches
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Apulian focaccia with potatoes
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 oz potatoes
- 1 tsp fresh yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 7 oz canned peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 3 oz pitted olives in brine
- to taste oregano
- to taste olive oil
- to taste water
- to taste fine or coarse salt
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Plastic wrap
Steps to Prepare Apulian focaccia with potatoes
Let’s prepare the potatoes. We need cooked potatoes for the dough, we can either boil them in already cut pieces or cook them with their skin on, well washed, in cold water, bringing to a boil and cooking for 35-40 minutes, depending on the size. They can be cooked more quickly in the microwave, 5 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap, or 10 minutes in a microwave container, even in Pyrex, always at maximum power, depending on the microwave model.
Once the potatoes are cooked, peel them while still hot and mash them with a fork. If using a potato masher, you can mash them with the skin on since the skin remains in the tool.
In a bowl, put 3/4 cup of water and dissolve the yeast. Then add 2 1/2 cups of flour and mix with a spoon. Add the potatoes and salt and mix again. If the dough turns out dry, more water is needed; I added another 1/4 cup, totaling 1 cup. If cooking the potatoes in water, a smaller quantity of water will be needed, so adjust accordingly.
Finally, add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and work it by hand to obtain a nice dough ball. Cover the dough with a bit of flour and let it rise in a warm place, such as a preheated oven with a cup of water. If using hot water, covering the dough is not necessary. Let rise for at least 2-4 hours.
When the dough has risen, pour it into a non-stick baking tray well-oiled with plenty of olive oil. Pour a little oil on the dough and spread it with your oiled hands in the tray. Let it rise again for about an hour in a warm place.
Once the dough has risen a little, cover with some crushed peeled tomatoes. Then add halved cherry tomatoes and olives, pressing them into the dough.
In a bowl, mix water and olive oil and distribute over the entire surface. Add dry oregano and a little salt, either fine or coarse.
Bake in a preheated ventilated oven for about 20 minutes at 482°F. It’s excellent to enjoy hot, and it’s super soft besides having an unparalleled taste given by the potatoes in the dough and the topping that makes this focaccia really special, Apulian in my own way.
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