Focaccia Pugliese - Cooking Vacations With The International Kitchen: Recipe Of The Month

Focaccia Pugliese

October 2010

Nothing warms a home quite like the smell and taste of freshly baked bread. This classic focaccia recipe is from our friends in Puglia. It is so simple to prepare and versatile to dress up with the freshest herbs and vegetables of the season- or to eat as is, with some Puglia Extra Virgin Olive Oil of course!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound flour
  • 3 pinches of dried oregano
  • 2 big ripe plum tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (or kosher salt)
  • ½ tablespoon fresh brewer yeast (do not use dried yeast pls)
  • ½ tablespoon Puglia (if you have it!) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 cup slightly warm water

Directions

On a bread board make a well with the flour, dissolve the yeast in it and add little by little the water (slightly warm in fall/winter), one teaspoon of salt and extra virgin olive oil. Work in all the ingredients, kneading the dough for about 5 minutes until it is smooth. Place the dough in a bowl with some flour on it and cover with a kitchen towel, set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour.

When the dough has risen, put some extra virgin olive oil in a rounded baking tray having a diameter of about 11 inches. Put the dough in the tray and on it chopped tomatoes, oregano (optional) extra virgin olive oil and salt.

Bake in a hot oven (350 F) for about 40 minutes. Serves 4.