Authentic Ligurian Focaccia
My fool-proof recipe for Ligurian Focaccia - the same one you'll find in the Cinque Terre, Genoa, and other parts of Liguria!
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups + 2 Tbsp baking flour (200 g)
- 3.5 cups bread flour (300 g)
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 350 ml water
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp olive oil + more for baking
- 2 tsp honey
- flakey sea salt
- 3/4 tsp sea salt (for the brine)
- 1/3 cup lukewarm water (75 ml, for the brine)
Instructions
- With a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, dissolve the yeast in the water. Mix well and add the two flours.
- Add the salt and olive oil and honey and continue to mix until well incorporated. Mix on medium speed for two or three minutes until the dough is smooth.
- Transfer the dough to a large lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and for two hours until doubled in size, performing a series of four folds every 30 minutes by lifting up one corner of the dough with a wet hand, pulling it up and bringing it back down on top of the dough on the opposite side. Turn the bowl a quarter of a turn and repeat 3 more times until all the dough has been folded upon itself (2 hours total). Finish proofing at room temperature, anywhere from 1-4 hours more, depending on the weather, humidity, time of year, etc., or until doubled in size.
- Oil a pan well with 1 tablespoon olive oil and turn the dough out onto the oiled baking sheet.
- Using slightly wet or oiled hands, pull and stretch the dough out into an even rectangle (or whatever shape you can manage; it can be a little challenging to spread out), pulling from the underside of the dough outward, being sure it reaches to the edges of the pan. The dough will spring back, so repeat stretching once or twice over the next 30 minutes to ensure the dough remains stretched out fully to the edges.
- Brush with another 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour while the oven is preheating to 475° F (245° C) until puffed.
- Dimple the ligurian focaccia. The trick is to keep your fingers moist. Dip your fingertips in water frequently. You also want to use the whole pads of your fingers to dimple the ligurian focaccia, not just the tips. If you just use your fingertips, you risk piercing the dough and creating smaller dimples. You ideally want to achieve large, wide dimples that will hold the brine well.
- Mix the brine and pour evening over the dough so it fills all the dimples.
- Sprinkle the ligurian focaccia lightly with flaky salt and bake on the lower rack of the oven for 13-18 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Remove and brush with another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. You may need to use a knife to loosen it from the edges.
Notes
- Try and have the dough reach the edges of the pan to ensure the brine doesn’t end up under the focaccia. It should stay on top.
- Don’t skimp on the olive oil because that is one of the authentic ligurian focaccia’s defining factors.
- The ease of stretching your dough will vary greatly depending on the climate, humidity, time of year, and type/brand of flour. Be patient and use the times as guidelines, not rules.
- The proofing/rising time will also depend on these facts - be sure to proof properly and don’t rush it. When it’s cold, rising times will be much longer than in the summer!
- Use an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is at the correct temperature.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!