Focaccia barese is a typical focaccia of Apulian cuisine, made up of a crispy base, a soft and light inside, mixed with boiled potatoes and durum wheat semolina, and topped with juicy cherry tomatoes, olives and oregano. If you ever travel to Puglia, and specifically Bari, you will find this type of focaccia everywhere.
There are different versions, some with potato, some without, some thicker, some thinner but they all have in common the use of lots of high quality extra virgin olive oil and cherry tomatoes. Here I’ve recreated the version that I like the most, thin and crispy with lots of tomatoes and with potato in the dough.
What you will need to make Focaccia Barese
- Plain flour
- Semolina flour (coarsely milled durum wheat)
- Water
- Salt
- Sugar
- Potato (boiled and mashed)
- Dry active yeast
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Olives
- Cherry tomatoes
- Oregano
Step By Step Instructions
- Place dry active yeast and sugar in a little bowl with some of the water, it should be lukewarm. Wait 5-10 minutes until dissolved and with some foam on the top.
- In a big bowl add plain flour and semolina flour and mix to combine, then add the cooked and mashed potato, the yeast mixture, start adding the water, while mixing with your fingers or with a wooden spoon. Add salt while mixing. Add olive oil then start kneading with your hands, transfer to a floured surface and knead the dough for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth. It should be slightly sticky but you should be able to knead it with the help of some flour.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts and place them in an oiled tray or directly where you will cook them. I used a cast iron pan as it gives the perfect crisp bottom. The size should be around 30 cm diameter, which is important because you want the pan to be big enough for the focaccia to be thin and crispy.
- Now for each dough: Oil the top of the dough, cover it with cling film or a kitchen towel and place it somewhere warm, like the oven with the light on, for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Place it in an oiled tray/cast iron and spread it with your hands to cover the whole surface.
- Open up the cherry tomatoes with your hands and crush them on the surface of the focaccia, distributing them equally. Press them firmly with the cut resting on the dough so that, by releasing their juice, they give the final product the characteristic greasy and moist dimples. Then add the olives and sprinkle with dried oregano and salt. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake it in a preheated oven at 230C (static) for 30 minutes, until the surface is golden and slightly browned in some places.
Did you make this recipe?
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Focaccia Barese – Focaccia from Puglia
A delicious crispy and soft Focaccia from Bari with cherry tomatoes, olives and oregano.
Ingredients
- 230 g plain flour
- 170 g semolina flour
- 200-250 g water
- 7 g salt
- 3 g sugar
- 100 g raw potato boiled and mashed
- 5 g dry active yeast
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Extra
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Olives
- 500 g Cherry tomatoes
- Salt
- Oregano
Instructions
- Place dry active yeast and sugar in a little bowl with some of the water, it should be lukewarm. Wait 5-10 minutes until dissolved and with some foam on the top.
- In a big bowl add plain flour and semolina flour and mix to combine, then add the cooked and mashed potato and yeast. Slowly start mixing in the water, mixing with your hands or a wooden spoon. The amount of water will vary based on the type of flours you use and the potato, so you might need to add some more if the dough is too dry and viceversa. Add salt while mixing.Once your dough starts to have a shape, add olive oil, then start kneading with your hands, transfer to a floured surface and knead the dough for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth. It should be slightly sticky but you should be able to knead it with the help of some flour.
- Divide the dough into two: Place each one in an oiled tray or directly where you will cook it. I used a cast iron pan as it gives the perfect crisp bottom but a baking tray is fine. The size should be around 30 cm diameter, which is important because you want the pan to be big enough for the focaccia to be thin and crispy.
- Oil the top of the dough, cover it with cling film or a kitchen towel and place it somewhere warm, like the oven with the light on, for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Place it in an oiled tray/cast iron and spread it with your hands to cover the whole surface.
- Open up the cherry tomatoes with your hands and crush them on the surface of the focaccia, distributing them equally. Press them firmly with the cut resting on the dough so that, by releasing their juice, they give the final product the characteristic greasy and moist dimples. Then add the olives and sprinkle with dried oregano and salt. Drizzle with olive oil. If you're baking one at a time bake it in a preheated oven at 230C (static) for 30 minutes, until the surface is golden and slightly browned in some places. If baking both raise the temperature to 250C.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
