Tomato Tomatoe

Focaccia barese

While I was travelling in Puglia, Italy I made it my mission to try focaccia Barese. Unlike the traditional Ligurian focaccia (I love this one so much) which uses yeast, olive oil, water and flour, focaccia Barese is made using semolina flour and potato. It’s often topped with tomatoes, olives and a sprinkle of oregano. One thing I love about Italy is that the cuisine is so regional and you will find different ways of preparing the same dish based on the region you are in.

This focaccia that I made was inspired by focaccia Barese. One day I will make it the traditional way using semolina flour and potato. Since I had active starter that needed to be used for baking, I decided to experiment. Instead of making one large focaccia, I divided the dough and proofed them into two small round baking dishes. I topped them with a healthy amount of olive oil, ripe tomatoes, olives and a sprinkle of oregano. This focaccia was amazing! I was blown away by the sweetness of the tomatoes and the fluffy texture of the bread. What really made me fall in love with this focaccia was the crispy bottom of the focaccia. The key to making it crispy is to use a good amount of olive oil on the bottom of the pan. I think I may prefer this type of focaccia over my classic focaccia recipe.

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focaccia barese

Ingredients

• 100 grams active sourdough starter
• 415 grams filtered water
• 40 grams of olive oil (plus more for drizzling in the baking dish and on top when it’s time to bake)
• 15 grams fine sea salt
• 515 grams organic unbleached flour
• 1 cup ripened cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olives (kalamata or Castelvetrano)
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• flaky salt
• olive oil to coat the pans + to drizzle on top

Directions

1. In large bowl add starter and filtered water. Mix this together with a wooden spoon. Add sea salt and olive oil. Mix together. Add flour and mix everything together. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Perform five folds every 30 minutes.
3. Take two 6×2 inch round baking pans and coat the bottom in olive oil (about 3-4 tbsp). Transfer the dough from the bowl to the baking dish. Cover with a kitchen towel and let this proof overnight on the counter for 12 hours.
4. After the focaccia has proofed for 12 hours, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. The dough should have spread out in the pan overnight. Drizzle olive oil on the top of the focaccia and apply a few drops of olive oil to your hands and rub them together (this will ensure that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands). Perform dimples in the focaccia using your finger tips.
5. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Slice the olive in half and remove the pit. Squeeze the juice of the tomatoes onto the focaccia. Place the tomatoes and olives on top. Add a sprinkle of oregano and season generously with sea salt or flaky salt.
6. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the focaccia is golden. Let cool before slicing.

Notes

I like to start making the focaccia dough at 6pm so then it has time to proof overnight for 12 hours while I’m sleeping. In the morning I will bake it at 9am.