Pugliese Focaccia
Tempo di preparazione:
Tempo di cottura:
Ingredienti
Livello
30 minutes
20 minutes
Ingredients for 4 people
Easy
Pugliese Focaccia
The Pugliese focaccia is a cornerstone of the culinary tradition of Southern Italy. But how and when did this delicacy come into being? The history of focaccia, in general, has ancient roots that date back to the times of the Sumerians, Ancient Egyptians, and Greeks, who prepared flatbreads cooked on hot stones.
Puglia, with its privileged geographical position on the Mediterranean, has seen a cultural interplay over the centuries. With the arrival of the Greeks, and later the Romans, the tradition of flatbread found its way to root and evolve in the region. However, the Pugliese focaccia, as we know it today, is the result of centuries of culinary evolution.
What sets the Pugliese focaccia apart from other Italian variants is its extraordinary softness inside, contrasted by a slightly crispy outer crust. This characteristic is due to the generous use of olive oil, a fundamental ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine and abundant in Puglia, along with the use of durum wheat semolina.
Over the centuries, as focaccia was consumed by farmers as a simple meal during work in the fields, variants with cherry tomatoes, olives, and other local delights were added.
Today, the Pugliese focaccia is celebrated not only in Italy but all over the world, as a symbol of the culinary wealth and history of a region that, through its cuisine, tells stories of people, encounters, and traditions.

Ingredienti
Ingredients for 6 people:
250 gr of durum wheat semolina
15 gr of fresh yeast
250 gr of "00" flour
A teaspoon of sugar
A potato weighing around 150 gr
Salt and dried oregano
10-12 cherry tomatoes
Credo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Preparazione
Preparation: Steam cook the potato, which has been peeled and cut into small pieces, for 15 minutes. Crumble the yeast into a bowl with the sugar and dissolve it in about 3 deciliters of lukewarm water. Spread the flour out on a work surface, creating a well in the center.
Add the warmed and mashed potato, pour the dissolved yeast in the center, and work the ingredients for about ten minutes, until you obtain a smooth and soft dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in volume.Move the dough to a 34 cm baking tray lightly greased with oil, pour 2-3 tablespoons of oil on top, and press it down with your hands to fill the tray.Press the cherry tomatoes into the dough, sprinkle the surface with a pinch of oregano, and add a pinch of salt.
Let the focaccia rise covered for another hour and season it with half a deciliter of water emulsified with five tablespoons of oil.Bake in an oven at 200°C (around 392°F) for about 30 minutes. Serve it hot with a drizzle of Credo extra virgin olive oil.