Thinner than many focaccia varieties out there, this Barese style focaccia is so delicious and makes a great side or appetizer. This focaccia from Bari, Italy is a great one to make at home.
Focaccia Barese (From Bari) is a very delicious and simple bread that you can find all over the Puglia region and of course in Bari. There are many versions of this focaccia but the basics are pretty much the same (for example, there is always potato in the dough) and the toppings are always tomatoes and olives.
It is definitely thinner than some other focaccia breads (thinner than Tuscan focaccia) and almost looks like a pizza (especially when it is baked in a round pan.) I have found that cast iron works beautifully for this recipe since you want a nice golden crust on the bottom.
To get that crust nice and golden, I like to bake the bread for the last 5 minutes of baking on the bottom rack. You have to give this one a try!
What You Will Need
- All-Purpose Flour
- Semolina flour: I know not everyone has access to this type of flour and it is pricey. I have made this recipe without it and used all purpose flour in its place with great success.
- Active dry yeast: This is type of yeast is important, since this bread does not proof overnight.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Russet Potato: Just the inside cooked then mashed.
- Kosher salt.
- Cherry tomatoes: You can also dice up tomatoes if that is all you have.
- Green olives: I like using a mild buttery flavored green olive like Castelvetrano. Feel free to use your favorite or you can also use black olives.
How To Make Focaccia Alla Barese
- Combine wet ingredients: Combine the water, olive oil, mashed up potato and yeast and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate large bowl, add both types of flour and salt then mix well.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients together: Combine the wet and dry ingredients along with the olive oil and mix well.
- Knead: Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it by hand for 5 minutes. Resist the urge to add more flour if the dough is sticky. If this happens, just keep working the dough and it will smooth out. You can also use a stand mixer and a dough hook for this part but the kneading is very easy.
- Rest: Take the ball of dough and place it back into the large bowl that has been oiled and let the dough rest for 3 hours.
- Press out the dough and rest again: Coat a cast iron pan (about 10 inches) with olive oil, punch down the dough then place it in the baking pan and press it out to fill the baking pan and rest the dough for another 15- 20 minutes.
- Prepare Focaccia for baking: Press dimples into the top of the focaccia with your fingertips then drizzle with some olive oil, squeeze the tomatoes open and place in the dimples then press in olives. Add a sprinkle of salt.
- Bake: Place in a preheated 500-degree oven on the middle rack for 15 minutes, then move it to the bottom rack for another 5 minutes or until golden brown.
Storing
Focaccia Barese is the best the first day it is made but second best the next day 🙂 To store it, I like to wrap the focaccia in aluminum foil and leave it on the counter. I don't like refrigerating the bread because that dries it out.
It will last for a few days on the counter.
To freeze the focaccia, just let it cool completely then double wrap it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. It lasts about 2 months in the freezer.
More Delicious Italian Bread Ideas
Classic Focaccia Barese
Equipment
- 10 inch cast iron pan
Ingredients
Bread Dough
- 1 ½ cups All-purpose flour plus more for work surface
- ¾ cup Semolina flour
- ¾ cups Water filtered and at room temperature
- ½ cup Russet potato mashed. just the inside, cooked and cooled
- 2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Instant (rapid rise) yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Top of the Focaccia
- 10 Cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup Green olives you can also use black olives
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil for the top of the Focaccia
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine the water, yeast and let sit for 10 minutes.¾ cups Water, 1 tsp Instant (rapid rise) yeast
- After 10 minutes, add the mashed up potato, and olive oil to the water and mix well.½ cup Russet potato, 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- In a separate large bowl, add both types of flour and salt then mix well.1 ½ cups All-purpose flour, 1 tsp kosher salt, ¾ cup Semolina flour
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well until a dough comes together. It may be sticky and that is normal.
- In the bowl, knead the dough until it becomes a ball of dough.
- Dump the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface and discard any flour left in the bowl. Knead the dough for 5 minutes.
- Form a ball with the dough, coat the large bowl with olive oil and place the dough back into the large bowl .
- Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 3-4 hours to rise.
- After 3-4 hours, coat a cast iron pan with a little olive oil.
- Punch down the dough then place it in the pan and press it out to fill the baking dish.
- Let the dough rest for another 20-30 minutes, covered with a kitchen towel.
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
- Press dimples into the top of the focaccia with your fingertips.
- Drizzle olive oil over the top.¼ tsp Kosher salt, 3 tbsp Olive oil for the top of the Focaccia
- Take the cherry tomatoes one at a time and crush each on and place it in the dimples of the dough and let the juice of the tomato fall on top of the dough. Do this with all the tomatoes.10 Cherry tomatoes
- Now press in the olives into the top of the dough.½ cup Green olives
- Bake for about 10 minutes on the middle rack.
- After 10 minutes, move the pan to the bottom rack and bake for another 5 minutes or until it turns a beautiful golden brown in color on the top.
- Let cool for 5 minutes then slice and enjoy.
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