Focaccia Genovese

Every region in Italy is known for particular cuisines and special recipes that are true to that specific area. That is what makes Italy so very unique, because of it’s diverse good culture. You can’t expect to travel to Sicilia (Sicily) and get focaccia that tastes like you would fresh from the focacceria in Genova (Genoa). That’s why it is called Focaccia Genovese – those Italians who are from Genoa know that this particular bread and it’s oily goodness is a specialty of their area – and for good reason. It’s DELICIOUS.

My sister sent Roberto a recent journal entry (embarrassing) from my daily high school journal and it said, “Olive Garden gives you really good salad and breadsticks – all you can eat.” Yep, you get to marry me 😉 But after reflecting on that entry, I really can’t even remember the last time that I ate at an Olive Garden, but I do remember EVERY time that I consume this warm bread. In fact, it’s a tradition that once we land in Milan from the U.S. and get in the car, we have a bag of focaccia from Genoa waiting for us. Nothing is better for breakfast, especially when you pair this with a cappuccino. Wow – heaven.

Focaccia is something that I’ve been really been intimidated to make… not really but EXTREMELY. Especially here in America because of lack of some specific ingredients like fresh yeast (lievito di birra). However, based on the recipe, from Roberto’s Dad Ugo (he’s 115% Genovese) that I will be sharing with you today, you can come VERY close to what you see in that bag up there. Let’s get started, shall we?

What you will need:

Stand Mixer
Sheet Pan 12 x 18″
Basting Brush
Kitchen Scale – measurement in Grams

Ingredients:

12 g – Active Dry Yeast Fleischmann’s or Red Star works if you are here in America – Lievito di Birra if you are in Italia or can find it here in the U.S – very rare!
333 g – Unbleached Flour or Farina 00 (Italian flour – Caputo or Anna is a brand I find in our grocery store)
183 g – Water – Acqua
17 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Olio Extravergine d’oliva
1/2 tsp of sugar – mezzo cucchiaino di zucchero (to activate the dry yeast only)
7 g of salt – sale
Small pinch of Kosher Salt – q.b. di sale grosso – for on top of the focaccia
7 g of malt syrup OR honey (which I use) – Malto o Miele

Preparation:

Start by measuring out and activating the dry yeast with the sugar and a small amount of warm water in a bowl. Let this sit for about 10 minutes until the yeast is bubbling and expanding.
Meanwhile, weigh all of your other ingredients and combine the Flour, Salt, Honey (or Malto), EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and water into a kitchen stand mixing boil.
After activation of the dry yeast is complete, add this to the large kitchen stand mixing bowl and use the hook attachment to your mixer. Set the mixer on low and a timer for 15 minutes while the dough is kneaded.
After 15 minutes, place the dough onto a wooden cutting board or a clean countertop.
Lightly fold the dough a few times and create a round ball.
On the bottom part of the ball, pinch four corners and fold each corner diagonally across the other and place ball on board to rise for 30 minutes. Cover with a dry dish towel.
Prepare the 12 x 18″ sheet pan with a really nice and generous layer of olive oil – do NOT be shy here.
After 30 minutes the ball of dough will have expanded in size and you will place this in your prepared sheet pan and start expanding the dough evenly to cover the entire surface. I like to flip the dough once to ensure that I have the EVOO on both sides.
Once the dough is covering the bottom of the pan, I take a small basting brush and lightly cover the entire sheet of dough with a salt water mixture – not too much salt!
Next, make sure your oven is OFF, and place this inside to rise in the pan for another 2 hours.
When there is about 30 minutes left in the raising process, I pull out the dough and make indentations using my finger tips across the entire surface of the dough. I then take about one small spoonfull of kosher salt (or any salt) – sale grosso – and distribute it evenly on the surface along with an additional basting of EVOO – YES, there is a lot of oil used here.
Once the full 2 hours have completed, pull the pan out of the oven and place on the counter. Preheat your oven to 446 degrees F – 230 degrees C.
Once the oven is nice and hot, place the pan on a middle rack and cook for about 15 minutes until the top is a nice golden brown.
Once I pull this out of the oven, I baste more EVOO on top, remove it from the pan (you will see that the bottom is nice and crunchy) and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
Focaccia is best warm, so I suggest you grab a bread knife and cut yourself a slice to enjoy IMMEDIATELY – no hesitation since you just waited almost 3 hours in order to be transported to Genoa 🙂

It might take you a few attempts to master the art of focaccia making. We consistently get better each time that we do it (our last version had red onions on top – cipolle rosse), and it’s a great weekend treat that you can have while enjoying an aperitivo at home or for breakfast (colazione). If you have leftovers you can make a foccacina (focaccia sandwich) with fresh mozzarella and cherry tomatoes (pomodorini) or prosciutto. Freezing is always an option as well.

May you be transported as I was in my kitchen to a little Focaccieria nestled in between the small streets of Genoa. Please leave me a comment and let me know how your very own Focaccia Genovese comes out!

With forgotten breadsticks and a new love for Focaccia Genovese,