I was flipping through the September issue of Giallo Zafferano, found the recipe for Genoese focaccia, and having just returned from the supermarket without bread because it was sold out, I didn’t think twice and got to work immediately. I followed the recipe when it came to the ingredients, but only up to a certain point because I halved the quantity of yeast used, only 8 g compared to the 15 indicated. If you have been following me for a while, you will know that I prefer to use less yeast and extend the timing a bit, but since I started kneading after 4:00 PM, I had to make the right calculations to have a leavened dough by 6:30 PM or a little more so that my Genoese focaccia was ready for dinner. If you have more time, you can use 2-4 g of yeast, and it turns out even better with slow leavening.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Genoese Focaccia
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 3/4 cups water
- fresh yeast, from 2 to 8 g (3 g dry)
- 2 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (30 g can also be enough)
- 1 tsp honey (wildflower)
- 3 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- as needed coarse salt
Tools to prepare Genoese Focaccia
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Non-stick baking tray
- 1 Small bowl
Steps in preparing Genoese Focaccia
In a large bowl, place the yeast with water and honey, and mix with a spoon to dissolve both the yeast and the honey.
Add one of the flours and mix with a spoon to obtain a batter; don’t worry about lumps.
Then add the other flour little by little, working as much as possible with the spoon, taking small breaks, which make the dough more elastic.
When the dough is still quite soft, add the salt and continue working it to incorporate all the flour. At this point, you will need to work by hand as the dough becomes harder.
Keep working in the bowl to obtain a nice dough, then add the olive oil and continue working until it is fully incorporated into the dough. Let the dough rise for about 2 hours or a little more in a warm corner, in a small oven with a bowl of hot water. If we have more time, work with 2-4-6 g of yeast depending on how many hours we have and let it rise for more time.
When the dough is well risen, grease a baking tray about 12×16 inches or slightly larger with a little olive oil, then pour all the dough into the tray and spread it evenly with wet hands. My tray was slightly smaller, about 10×15 inches. Depending on the width of the tray, the focaccia with the same dough will be higher if smaller or thinner if larger.
Let the focaccia rise again in the tray, always in the oven with a bowl of hot water and the light on. In summer, all these precautions are not necessary because the temperature is already high.
In the meantime, prepare the brine in a small bowl with water, oil, and coarse salt, just mix quickly.
When the focaccia is well risen, about an hour later, create dimples on the surface with wet hands, pressing with your fingertips. Then pour the brine on top.
Bake in a hot ventilated oven for about 15-20 minutes between 450-480°F. Obviously, pay attention in the last few minutes to check if it needs a few more minutes or if it’s necessary to lower the temperature slightly.
Remove from the oven, take out of the tray, and cut into pieces. At this point, the focaccia is ready to enjoy, great hot, but also delicious cold, and yes, I also tried it in cappuccino as Genovese do, and I’ll tell you, how could they be wrong, the fact that there are no flavors on top makes it perfect.
