Focaccia Barese

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

In June we took our long-awaited trip to Puglia with Edible readers, and just about everywhere we went we were served little bites of focaccia Barese. It’s a staple pizza-like snack from the seaside city of Bari, served in slabs wrapped in paper for lunch or in tiny squares as part of an aperitivo spread. Lighter than it looks, with a tangy fresh tomato and dried oregano topping, punctuated by sharp, briny olives, its oily, crispy-bottomed crust has me convinced this must be the forebear of Midwestern-style pan pizza—just without all that cheese. 

Some versions we saw were made with whole cherry tomatoes burst by hand and pressed into the dough with a mere scattering of olives; others were topped with a chunkier tomato sauce and an olive in every bite. We made two varieties in a cooking class on the farm where we stayed—one classic with small tomatoes and green olives, the other reminiscent of the focaccia from Liguria (the style most Americans are familiar with), topped simply with rosemary and lemon zest.

For the rest of the summer, I researched and tested and played with different ingredients to recreate the ultimate focaccia Barese, just like the one we ate fresh from the oven on the street outside Bari’s Panificio Fiore. Many Pugliese bakers add a mashed boiled potato to their dough to increase fluffiness, but I settled on a mix of semolina and extra-fine (00) wheat flour, the perfect combination to create the crunchy, crispy crust I remembered.

Since the key to this revelatory bread is its oil-rich dough, you’re going to use a LOT of oil. You’ll swear I’ve made a mistake when you read there’s a full cup of extra virgin in this recipe—-the best you can find, bonus if it’s from Puglia—but you’re making two huge focaccia, each one feeding 4–6 people as a snack. The oil is definitely the most important ingredient, so splurge a little, if you can.

I’m including this in our Fall issue because it’s a great way to use up overripe or abundant tomatoes—and in particular, the copious crop of Sungold cherry tomatoes my raised beds produce in late summer/early autumn. But in winter, a can of imported San Marzanos or a box of the Maine-grown tomatoes-on-the-vine will work just as well. And if you’re averse to making your own homemade dough, you can use a sack of store-bought pizza dough instead; just divide one large dough into two balls and continue the recipe from there. Coat each one with plenty of your best oil and tomatoes and you’ll transport yourself to Bari.

Makes 2 focaccia

250 grams semolina flour
250 grams 00 flour, plus more for dusting surfaces
2½ teaspoons instant dried yeast dissolved in ¼ cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
1 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup very best extra virgin olive oil 
3 cups halved big cherry tomatoes (or equivalent in halved Maine grown tomatoes-on-the-vine or best-quality Italian canned San Marzano tomatoes)
1½ teaspoons Diamond kosher salt
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
18 olives (Castelveltrano are nice, but Kalamata are good, too)
crunchy flaky salt

2 12-inch cast iron skillets or heavy-duty carbon steel pans (like for paella)

To make the dough, whisk together the semolina flour and 00 flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center with your fingers. Dissolve the yeast in the ¼ cup lukewarm water and pour into the well with the salt and mix by hand, then add the remaining water and the sugar. Knead in the bowl until the dough comes together and all the flour has been incorporated, then transfer to a lightly floured board or countertop and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and uniform, about 5 minutes. Use the palms of your hands facing inward to spin the dough on the surface to tighten the ball, tucking under as you go. Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to a bowl and use your hands to coat the sides. Transfer dough to the bowl, oil the top with your hands and cover the bowl with a tea towel; set aside to rise in the warmest place in your kitchen for about an hour (more is fine, but not more than 2 hours).

After the initial rise, use a pastry scraper or large knife to divide the dough evenly into two portions. Knead each on an oiled surface with oiled hands to make uniform balls, rotating with your palms like in the first step to make the tops smooth, then allow them to rest in separate well-oiled bowls (like above), covered, for another hour.

While the dough rests, prepare the topping: In a large bowl, squeeze the halved cherry tomatoes with your hands until pulpy and sauce-like; depending on the liquid content of your tomatoes, this could be really very soupy, and that’s okay. Add 1½ teaspoons salt, the oregano and pepper. Stir to combine and set aside. 

After the dough has rested another hour, preheat the oven to 500°F. Coat the bottoms and sides of each pan with an abundant amount of olive oil, just shy of ¼ cup each. Coat your hands with oil and gently press one ball of dough into each pan, turning them over to cover the tops with oil, then spreading and stretching them out to the edges. Press your fingertips into the dough to make dimples. Divide the tomato topping between the two pans by lifting the pulp out of the liquid with your hands, spreading it to the edges and gently pressing the tomatoes into the dough. (There will be a lot of juice leftover in the bowl; reserve it to dip your baked focaccia into later, if you wish!) Arrange 9 olives over each, pressing them into the surface and drizzle another 2 tablespoons olive oil over the top; sprinkle with some flaky salt and set aside, covered with a towel, for another 30 minutes. (Do this on the stovetop while the oven preheats to give the dough an extra-warm proof.)

Bake the focaccias side by side on the same rack set in the lower third of the oven for 5 minutes; rotate to the upper third of the oven, then bake for an additional 15 minutes or until poofy, the tops are golden brown and the bottoms are crispy. Remove from the oven, and using an offset spatula, transfer the focaccias to a rack to cool. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges or squares. Reserve any leftovers at room temperature, wrapped well, and enjoy within one day of baking.

This story appeared in the Fall 2022 issue.