TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Focaccia GenoveseGenoese Focaccia
Liguria’s emblematic focaccia: a high-hydration dough is risen, dimpled with the fingers and baked after absorbing brine and olive oil.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (6 servings)
- Bread flour500 g
- Water330 ml
- Instant dry yeast5 g
- Extra virgin olive oil70 ml
- Fine salt12 g
- Coarse sea salt4 g
- Water for brine40 ml
Method
Mix the dough
- 1 Put 330 ml water, 5 g instant dry yeast, 500 g bread flour, 12 g salt and 30 ml extra virgin olive oil in a bowl.
- 2 Mix until no dry flour remains, forming a soft, sticky dough.
Knead to develop the dough
- 1 Turn the dough onto the worktop and knead for 8–10 minutes, wetting your hands as needed.
Ready when
Proceed when smooth and able to stretch thinly, though still tearing slightly.
First rise
- 1 Return to the bowl, cover and let rise at room temperature for 90 minutes.
Ready when
The dough should expand to about 2 times its volume, with a finger indentation slowly springing back.
Let the dough settle into the tray
- 1 Spread 20 ml extra virgin olive oil over a baking tray and place the dough on it.
- 2 Gently press out by hand until it covers about 7/10 of the tray, then rest for 20 minutes.
Ready when
After 20 minutes, proceed when the dough has relaxed and no longer shrinks back when spread.
Dimple and dress with brine
- 1 Mix 40 ml brine water and 20 ml extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl.
- 2 Stretch the dough to fill the tray and press deep dimples all over with your fingers.
- 3 Distribute the mixed brine and 4 g coarse salt over the surface.
Second rise
- 1 Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes.
Ready when
The surface should be puffy, with brine and oil pooled in the dimples.
Heat the oven thoroughly
- 1 Meanwhile(During the second rise) preheat the oven to 230°C.
- 2 Proceed when the oven has reached baking temperature and is thoroughly hot, ready for the tray.
Bake until fragrant
- 1 Bake at 230°C for 18–22 minutes.
- 2 It is ready when the surface is golden, the base is fragrantly browned and the bread feels light when lifted.
About this dish
Genoa, Liguria’s port city, is a trading city built on a narrow strip where the mountains press toward the sea. Olive oil, sea breezes and bakery aromas form part of everyday life, and focaccia genovese is loved as the bread that represents that daily world.
The word focaccia is thought to derive from the Latin focus, meaning hearth or place of fire, and belongs to a long line of flatbreads. In Genoa it is eaten at breakfast and as a snack, including with coffee in bars.
Brine and olive oil pooled in its surface dimples express Liguria’s modest, fragrant food culture. Basic ingredients, flour, salt, water and oil, carry the memory of place rather than elaborate toppings.
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