Original Focaccia Pugliese with Semolina Flour and Potatoes

This has been a huge discovery on a visit to the city of Bari in Puglia.  Surprisingly, the essential ingredients of the Barese Focaccia are simply boiled potato and durum wheat semolina. – Caroline

Why You’ll Like It

• Snack for excellence in Bari. Rooted in Italian baking tradition, this yeast bread captures the essence of rustic Mediterranean flavors.
• Perfect for Any Occasion: It’s also a very convenient takeaway snack to eat at the beach, for city walks, and for picnics often accompanied by the tastiest mortadella.
• Versatile and Flavorful: Unlike its pizza counterpart, focaccia shines with its simplicity yet bursts with flavor. Infused with olive oil and adorned with Mediterranean toppings like herbs, garlic, olives, tomatoes, each slice is a flavorful experience that lingers in your mouth, leaving a lasting impression.
• All-Day, Every Day: This bread is the ultimate multitasker. It’s not just a sidekick to your meal; it’s the star of the show. Serve it as an appetizer, dunk it in soup, load it up with your Parma Ham or Mortadella, or simply enjoy it on its own – the possibilities are endless! There’s never a wrong time to indulge in it. You’ll find it freshly baked in the mornings and often enjoyed as a lunchtime favorite by school kids everywhere. Wrapped in oiled paper, it stays soft and delicious until the midday break.
• In short:
  • Shines with its simplicity.
  • All Day, Every Day.
  • Not Just a Sidekick.
  • Unforgettable Taste.

Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Focaccia Pugliese

1. The Marriage Between Pizza and Bread:
2. Use Best Ingredients: Opt for high-quality ingredients, such as ripe juicy cherry tomatoes and premium olives, preferably from Puglia, the region where Focaccia Pugliese originates. Instead of fresh tomatoes, you can use peeled tomatoes with a little preserving liquid.
3. Marriage Between Pizza and Bread: Focaccia should have a balance between the thinness and lightness of pizza and the slightly fluffy and crusty texture of bread. The size of your tray or oven dish is crucial for achieving the proper consistency. Using a too small tray will result in a very thick focaccia, which may lead to a bland taste as the oil and tomato flavors get lost. Conversely, using a too large tray will result more in a pizza rather the desired soft base for the tomatoes and olives.
4. Using a New Pan?: If the pan is new it must be treated previously, i.e. greased and heated in the oven.
5. Follow the Recipe Carefully: While making Focaccia Pugliese may not be a quick meal, following the recipe diligently is essential. Despite the wait involved, the end result will be worth it.

Ingredient Substitutions & Variations

1. Swap semolina flour with 00 flour.
2. Skip the potatoes, adjusting water to 300ml for 500g of flour
3. Bari’s focaccia comes in many versions. Here, we toss in potatoes and semolina flour for the dough, but hey, there’s no one-size-fits-all recipe!
4. Swap the maple syrup with 10g sugar.  In most of my recipes, I try to use as little as possible refined sugar though sometimes it’s really difficult to do this when it comes to baking.

Storage & Make Ahead Suggestions

• Leftovers: You can store any leftover focaccia for a few days in the fridge, or if you want to keep it for longer, pop it in the freezer.
• Reheating Tip: To get that freshly baked taste back, just warm it up in a preheated oven until it’s nice and crispy.

• Without freezing: You can typically prepare focaccia dough ahead of time and let it rest in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking. This resting period allows the flavors to develop more fully and it will save you time and hassle!
• Freezing: If you want to save some dough for later, simply freeze it after it rises. Just make sure to punch it down, coat it with olive oil, and pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thawing: When you’re ready to use the dough, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Once it’s thawed, let the dough rest for about 30 minutes on the counter to get it back to room temperature. Shape the dough onto your baking sheet and continue with the recipe as usual.

How to Serve Focaccia Pugliese

I love to leave the standard Bari toppings for this Italian focaccia bread:

• Bari olives
• Cherry tomatoes
• Oregano
• Drizzle of olive oil from the region of Puglia

However, it can also be topped or piled up like a sandwich with rocket leaves, tomatoes, mozzarella di Bufala, mortadella, or any other meat/cheese vegan alternatives.

Health Info

• Calories: 414.33
• Sugar: 2.69
• Sodium: 486.57
• Fat: 10.34
• Carbohydrates: 69.45
• Fiber: 4.5
• Protein: 10.45