Focaccia barese
Focaccia barese is the pride of Bari's bakeries: a thick round focaccia of semolina dough with boiled potato, baked in a pan with plenty of olive oil, with cherry tomatoes, olives and oregano pressed into the top. The potato keeps the crumb moist and springy into the next day, while the oil in the pan fries the base crisp. Unlike Genoese focaccia it is taller, and the tomatoes burst in the oven and soak into the dough. The dough is very wet and sticky — that is right, do not add flour.
Your own work in that: 25 min.
- Cooking the potato 30 min
- Dough 15 min
- Rising 120 min
- Shaping 10 min
- Second rise 45 min
- Baking 35 min
- Cooling 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneMix the dough
Boil the potato in its skin until tender, about 25 minutes, then peel, rice and cool it. In a large bowl mix the semolina, flour, yeast and sugar. Add the riced, cooled potato and the water and stir until no dry flour remains. Add the salt and olive oil.
Ingredients: 250 g fine durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata) · 250 g strong bread flour · 150 g potato (1 medium), boiled in its skin, peeled and riced · 340 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 11 g salt · 2 tbsp olive oil for the dough
Knead
Knead with a dough hook for 8–10 minutes, or by hand, lifting and folding the dough in the bowl. It will be very soft and sticky — do not add flour.
Ingredients: 250 g fine durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata) · 250 g strong bread flour · 150 g potato (1 medium), boiled in its skin, peeled and riced · 340 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 11 g salt · 2 tbsp olive oil for the dough
Very wet and sticky — as it should be.Leave to rise
Cover the bowl and leave somewhere warm for 2 hours, until doubled and bubbly.
Ingredients: 250 g fine durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata) · 250 g strong bread flour · 150 g potato (1 medium), boiled in its skin, peeled and riced · 340 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 11 g salt · 2 tbsp olive oil for the dough
Prepare the pan
Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil into a round pan about 30 cm across (cast iron or steel is best, with sides at least 4 cm high) and spread it over the base and sides.
Ingredients: 6 tbsp olive oil for the pan and top · 300 g cherry tomatoes · 80 g pitted green olives · 1 tsp dried oregano · ½ tsp coarse salt
Stretch the dough
Tip the dough into the pan and stretch it to the edges with oiled fingers. If it shrinks back, wait 5 minutes and stretch again. The dough will be about 1.5 cm deep and the baked focaccia about 3 cm tall. For a thinner one, divide the dough between two 24 cm pans.
Ingredients: 250 g fine durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata) · 250 g strong bread flour · 150 g potato (1 medium), boiled in its skin, peeled and riced · 340 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 11 g salt · 2 tbsp olive oil for the dough
Plenty of oil in the pan — the base fries.Add the tomatoes
Halve the tomatoes. Dimple the dough with your fingers and press the tomatoes in cut side down, along with the olives. Sprinkle with oregano and coarse salt and drizzle with the remaining oil. Leave 45 minutes, heating the oven to 230°C after 15 minutes.
Ingredients: 6 tbsp olive oil for the pan and top · 300 g cherry tomatoes · 80 g pitted green olives · 1 tsp dried oregano · ½ tsp coarse salt
Tomatoes pressed in firmly, cut side down.Bake
Bake the focaccia in the oven heated to 230°C, on the lowest shelf, for 30–35 minutes, until golden on top and the base is crisp and brown — lift an edge with a spatula to check.
Ingredients: 250 g fine durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata) · 250 g strong bread flour · 150 g potato (1 medium), boiled in its skin, peeled and riced · 340 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 11 g salt · 2 tbsp olive oil for the dough
Cool and serve
Turn the focaccia out onto a rack and cool 10 minutes. It is best warm, cut into wedges.
Ingredients: 250 g fine durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata) · 250 g strong bread flour · 150 g potato (1 medium), boiled in its skin, peeled and riced · 340 ml lukewarm water · 5 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 11 g salt · 2 tbsp olive oil for the dough
Before you start
Semolina
Semola rimacinata is finely milled durum wheat semolina, yellow and silky, sold in Italian delicatessens and online. Coarse soft-wheat semolina is a poor substitute — if you have none, use 500 g of bread flour alone and 20 ml less water.
The tomatoes
In summer, ripe sweet cherry tomatoes that burst in the oven are best. Out of season, drained canned cherry tomatoes beat pale fresh ones.
Storage
Thanks to the potato, the focaccia is still good the next day. Keep it in paper at room temperature and reheat 5 minutes at 200°C to crisp the base.
