Focaccia Barese Ricetta: Traditional Focaccia alla Barese Recipe from Bari
Having a love for baking can make one just a bit obsessed when it comes to finding the right recipe. And so it has been with me when searching for a go-to focaccia Barese ricetta — a good but simple recipe for focaccia.
After trying various recipes over the past few years, I finally found this recipe for Focaccia alla Barese — it’s my new favorite.
Named after the city of Bari, the capital of the Puglia region in the heel of Italy’s boot, this local dish is one of the traditional regional foods of Bari and Puglia.
You can find this focaccia everywhere throughout the region. The restaurants in Puglia serve their own variations according to their family traditions, and you’ll find it often as street food, sold by the slice or more often, the square.
This recipe is easy to make, doesn’t take a lot of time, and most importantly, has a great texture and taste.
Plus, it’s a good all-around recipe to customize with ingredients you love, though the tomatoes and a few olives are traditional for Focaccia alla Barese.
What is Focaccia?
Focaccia is an flat-style Italian bread similar to a pizza crust, made by combining flour, yeast, and olive oil and then left to rise. Toppings are usually fresh herbs like oregano with rosemary being a favorite.
Many recipes will suggest meaty tomato slices with the seeds removed, plump sun-dried tomatoes, sliced onions, chopped olives, or just extra virgin olive oil with some coarse salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
Combinations are endless and you’re only restricted by what flavors you happen to like.
In Italy, focaccia is a typical food of Liguria but also found throughout the country including Puglia. It’s often served during Aperitivo (Italy’s happy hour), antipasto, and eaten with just a glass of wine.
In Tuscany, they make a unique focaccia called Schiacciata con l'uva, with fresh grapes from the vineyard!
Pieces can also be sliced and stuffed with cheese and cold meat to make a sandwich. There are no rules except to be patient while mixing and baking, and then to enjoy.
Focaccia Barese Ricetta
Focaccia Barese Ricetta
RECIPE TIPS:
#1 Use a kitchen scale if you have one.
#2 Use grams as a measurement which allows you to increase or reduce a recipe without a lot of fuss converting from cups, ounces, or spoonfuls.
#3 This focaccia Barese ricetta calls for adding the plump, meaty tomatoes that Puglia in southern Italy is famous for. If you can’t find good fresh tomatoes, a 28oz can of San Marzano tomatoes, or good peeled tomatoes works just as well. Look for good brands like Cento or Tuttorosso. Lightly squeeze the tomatoes (but don’t make them dry) to remove some of the juice, and slice them in half or quarters.
Oven Temp: 425°
Focaccia alla Barese
INGREDIENTS
The Dough
Flour — 4 cups (500 grams)
Use bread flour, semolina, all purpose, Italian ’00’ bread flour, or a combination of any of these. Semolina will give a denser texture with a nuttier flavor. I prefer the Italian bread flour for its light texture and higher rise making the loaf a bit thicker.
Water — 1.5 cups (350 grams)
Using filtered water is the best. Sometimes tap water can be a little funky or smell of chlorine unless of course you have a good well. I use filtered water for all my baking.
Yeast — 2 teaspoons; a single packet will be fine (10 grams)
Some bakers use fresh yeast which can be difficult to find. I recommend SAF instant yeast. It’s easy to use and keeps in the refrigerator for a good amount of time. Yeast packets from the grocery store are fine as well. A package contains 0.25 ounce or 2 1/4 teaspoons, approximately 7 grams.
Sugar — 2.25 teaspoons (8 grams)
The yeast needs something to react with to do its job. Sugar provides the fuel it needs. Don’t overdo it though — too much sugar will decrease yeast activity.
Salt — 3.5 teaspoons (13 grams)
Salt not only provides some flavor, it also decreases yeast activity so your dough doesn’t rise too quickly. That would give a lackluster focaccia, and too much salt will kill the yeast.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil — 1 ounce (25 grams)
The healthy fat in the recipe that adds so much flavor and helps to create the crust.
Almost ready to add toppings!
PREPARATION: The Magic Begins
1. In a large bowl or a stand mixer blend the flour, sugar, yeast, and about half of the water. When it starts to come together pour in the rest of the water. The dough should come together and be soft but not sticky. A little flour or a little water will take care of either.
2. Next, mix in the salt.
3. As the ingredients are mixing, drizzle in the olive oil. When the dough is all blended either switch to a dough hook on your mixer to knead it, or place it on a smooth surface to knead (I use a large wooden board). Knead the dough until it feels smooth and a bit warm, about 8-10 minutes.
4. When done kneading, shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl that’s been smeared with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size. It seems to double in about 2-3 hours.
5. Oil a pizza sized pan generously oiled with EVOO and move the dough to the pan. Gently stretch the dough to fill the pan (a smaller pan will give a thicker loaf). Cover the pan with plastic wrap, place it in that warm place again, and let it rise until approximately doubled in size. This should take maybe an hour or a bit longer. Keep an eye on it.
6. When the dough is ready brush it with olive oil and dimple it with your finger tips. Now add whatever toppings you like and gently press them into the dough.
7. Bake in a 425° oven. In a convection oven (which I recommend) the cooking time is about 20 minutes or until the edges start to brown. In a conventional oven the cooking time will be a bit longer. Just keep an eye on it.
Buon Appetito!
