Focaccia Genovese

olive oil, coarse salt, an overnight proof

Prep
30 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
8h
Total
55 min
Serves
8
Difficulty
Medium
Rating
4.8 / 5 (213 ratings)

Thinner than the thick focaccia sold in bakeries outside Italy. More oil, more salt, a dimpled surface that pools the brine. The dough is wet and sticky. Don't add more flour. Oil goes on twice: once before the proof to stop the dough drying out, once before baking with water to make the brine.

Ingredients

For 8 servings.

Dough

  • 500 g strong white flour (or 00)
  • 350 ml lukewarm water
  • 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 7 g active dry yeast
  • 10 g fine salt
  • 5 g sugar

For the tin and top

  • 80 ml extra virgin olive oil (split between oiling the tin and the brine)
  • 50 ml lukewarm water (mixed with the oil to make the brine)
  • to taste coarse sea salt

Method

  1. 1. Start the dough

    Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water and leave for 10 minutes until frothy. Combine the flour and fine salt in a large bowl, add the yeast water and olive oil, and mix until a rough, sticky dough forms. Knead for 8-10 minutes by hand (or 6 minutes with a dough hook) until smooth and elastic but still quite soft.

    The dough is supposed to be wet. Don't add flour to make it easier to handle.

  2. 2. First proof

    Oil a large baking tray (about 30x40cm) very generously with about half the topping oil. Place the dough in the centre and stretch it roughly to fit. Drizzle another couple of tablespoons of oil over the top. Cover with a damp cloth and leave at room temperature for 8 hours, or overnight.

    The long, slow proof develops flavour. A 1-2 hour proof at warm temperature works but tastes blander.

  3. 3. Dimple and brine

    Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F. Press all your fingertips firmly across the surface of the dough to make deep dimples, almost to the base of the tray. Mix the remaining oil with the water to make a brine and pour it evenly over the surface. Let it pool in the dimples. Scatter coarse salt over the top.

    The brine soaks into the dimples and keeps the inside moist while the outside crisps.

  4. 4. Bake

    Bake for 20-25 minutes until deep golden on top and the underside is also golden when you lift a corner. The colour should be past pale gold. Leave to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition per serving

  • 320 kcal
  • Protein: 7g
  • Carbs: 44g
  • Fat: 13g

A bit of history

Focaccia genovese, known locally as fugassa, is a different thing from the thick, soft focaccia sold in many Italian bakeries outside Liguria. The Genovese version is thinner, crispier at the edges, and uses more oil than most. In Genoa it's eaten at breakfast with milky coffee, or as a snack throughout the day.

The name focaccia comes from the Latin focus, meaning hearth or fireplace, which is where flatbreads were originally baked. The Ligurian version developed as a sailor's and worker's bread: practical, filling, portable, made from the same basic ingredients as any other bread with the addition of a lot of oil.