Focaccia Bari-style (focaccia Barese)

This focaccia makes the perfect entertaining snack, with its crisp outer, moist inner, and topping of sweet tomatoes and salty olives.

Focaccia Bari-style (focaccia Barese) Credit: Paola Bacchia

• makes

  2

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

I ate this focaccia for the first time in Bari from a little bakery called Panificio Santa Rita, in a tiny laneway, off the beaten track. It was mid-morning and I stood outside, as one elderly local after another emerged holding a slice of yeasty dough studded with bright red tomatoes. They stood in a circle outside, chatting between mouthfuls of focaccia. I found out from the fornaio (baker) that the dough is made with potatoes, and that I was lucky to have found any left, as he had usually sold out by this time. You can experiment with other toppings, but tomatoes, olives and oregano are traditional.

Ingredients

• 1 medium pontiac or desiree potato
• 250 g (9 oz/1⅔ cups) 00 weak (cake) flour or plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
• 250 g (9 oz/2 cups) fine semolina 
• 6 g (¼ oz) instant dried yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 350 ml (12 fl oz) tepid water
• 1 tsp salt
• extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing and drizzling
• 50 g (1¾ oz) pitted black olives, halved
• 200 g (7 oz) ripe cherry or other small tomatoes, halved or quartered
• dried oregano, for sprinkling

Resting time: 1 hour

Instructions

Place the potato in a small saucepan, fill with cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 30 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, peel and mash or push through a potato ricer. You need 150 g (5½ oz) cooked potato. 

Whisk the flour, semolina, dried yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Add the warm potato and tepid water. Stir through using a wooden spoon, then add the salt. Bring the dough together, then tip onto a well-floured work surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth. Divide the dough in half and fold the dough a couple of times. 

Oil the base and sides of two 22 cm (8¾ in) cake tins. Place each mound of dough, seam side down, in the centre of each tin and cover with clean tea towels. Place in a draught-free spot for at least 1 hour or until doubled in size. 

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). 

With well-oiled hands, lift the dough from the tins and flip onto the other side. Push the dough back into the tins using your fingers, so that they are covered in small indentations. Push olive and tomato halves in the indentations, then sprinkle over some dried oregano. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the focacce have risen and are golden on top. Enjoy warm. 

This recipe is from Italian Street Food. (Smith Street Books). Photography by Paola Bacchia.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

I ate this focaccia for the first time in Bari from a little bakery called Panificio Santa Rita, in a tiny laneway, off the beaten track. It was mid-morning and I stood outside, as one elderly local after another emerged holding a slice of yeasty dough studded with bright red tomatoes. They stood in a circle outside, chatting between mouthfuls of focaccia. I found out from the fornaio (baker) that the dough is made with potatoes, and that I was lucky to have found any left, as he had usually sold out by this time. You can experiment with other toppings, but tomatoes, olives and oregano are traditional.