Genoese focaccia

Name: Genoese focaccia
Cook time: 215 min
Total time: 215 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italiana
Ingredients: 500 g Wheat flour; 10 g Salt; 120 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 5 g Yeast; 1 teaspoon Coarse Salt; 360 ml Water

Focaccia genovesa

Medium

Contains allergens

Cereales con gluten

Incomplete allergen information: some ingredients have not been reviewed yet. Always check the labels before cooking.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 4 hr
Servings: 8

Summary

Genoa's fugassa: low, soft inside and crisp underneath, with its trademark dimples full of oil and brine. It needs few ingredients and plenty of resting time, and is eaten at any hour, even dunked in milky coffee the way the Genoese do.

Ingredients

8 servings

Add to Bring!

500 g Wheat flour (medium-strength (Italian type 0))
10 g Salt (fine, for the dough)
120 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided between the dough, the tray and the brine)
5 g Yeast (dried, or 15 g fresh)
1 teaspoon Coarse Salt (for the brine and the top)
360 ml Water (300 ml lukewarm for the dough and 60 ml for the brine)

Instructions

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the dough water. Add the flour and mix until no dry flour is left. Leave for 15 minutes: the flour hydrates and the dough becomes easier to knead.
15 min
Add the fine salt and 2 tablespoons of oil and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. It is sticky: wet your hands rather than adding flour.
10 min
Shape into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm until doubled in size.
90 min
Generously oil a baking tray of about 30 × 40 cm. Turn out the dough and stretch it towards the corners with your fingertips; if it springs back, let it rest for 10 minutes and carry on. Cover and leave to rise again.
60 min
Heat the oven to 230 °C. Whisk the brine water with 3 tablespoons of oil and half the coarse salt until emulsified. Press your fingers into the dough to make the dimples, pour the brine over and scatter with the rest of the coarse salt. Leave to rest for another 20 minutes.
20 min
Bake on the lowest shelf until golden on top and crisp underneath. Drizzle with oil as it comes out of the oven and let it cool slightly on a rack before cutting.
20 min

Notes

The brine (water, salt and oil whisked together) poured over before baking is what sets it apart: it keeps the top golden yet soft. Press your fingers down until they touch the tray, without tearing the dough. For more flavour, do the first rise in the fridge, covered, for 12 to 24 hours. It is best eaten the same day; the next day, warm it for a few minutes in the oven. Frozen in portions, it keeps for a month.