Focaccia is a traditional Italian flat cake in the form of flat-yeast wheat bread, oiled and sprinkled with spices, chopped olives, onions, coarse salt and even different types of nuts. The product is usually used to make a sandwich with cold or hot filling. Focaccia can be fried in a toaster, grill or in an ordinary frying pan.
Ancestor of pizza
The emergence of Italian cakes should be attributed to ancient Rome. In antiquity, the item was baked in the center of the dwelling on an open fire called focus. Then people had no idea about yeast, so affordable and cheap ingredients in the form of flour, salt, water and olive oil were added to the dough. Subsequently, these components became mandatory in the preparation.
Historians believe that focaccia is the progenitor of pizza, a kind of poor option for it. If initially all the above products were used in the preparation of the product, then over time the number of ingredients increased. For example, the Romans put in a crispy Italian flat cake everything that was in the house, starting with olives and ending with cheeses. But thanks to the poor and the villagers, the focaccia came to us almost with the original recipe, as they simply had nothing to add to it.
Own traditions
Now crunchy Italian bread product is found in any form, has a different thickness and fillings. We should also talk about the formation of the surface of the cake. First, in the formed dough, small indentations are made with your fingers, and the focaccia itself is abundantly greased with olive oil mixed with spices, which are collected in these “dimples” after baking and thereby add flavor and prevent drying.
Each region has its own recipe for making Italian flat bread:
- focaccia "Barese" is cooked with potatoes or fresh tomatoes;
- "Genovese" - with red onion and olive oil;
- "Di Recco" - cheese cake;
- "Veneta" is named after the region of the same name and is a sweet version of the product.
7 secrets of perfect focaccia
- It is advisable for beginners to train on a round cake, as it is easier to mold and extend. A minimum of touches is a guarantee of a magnificent test with bubbles.
- After shifting to the form, the semi-finished product should rise again.
- Lubricate the mold not with sunflower oil, but with olive oil. In the process of baking, the cake absorbs the ingredient and becomes more delicious, fragrant and crispy.
- For lush focaccia, you should take mineral water. The dough will be liquid, but as a result of heat treatment, an ideal result will be obtained.
- Pay special attention to the temperature of the water - ideally, it should be slightly warm. Hot stops fermentation, and cold slows down.
- To prevent drying out, during baking, instead of 100% oil, use an oil emulsion with salt and water.
- For aroma, it is recommended to pour crushed sage and basil into the recess.
Classic Italian tortilla recipe
Ideally, flavored bread is cooked on wood in a stone oven, and in addition to sandwiches it is served with meat dishes, hot or cold snacks, soups and salads.
Cooking Technology:
- In 200 g of flour add 50 ml of olive oil, gradually pouring the required amount of cold water, knead the dough and wrap in a cling film. Clean for an hour.
- Divide the prepared flour semi-finished product in half and roll a ball from each part.
- After 5 minutes, roll the dough into flat cakes.
- Preheat the oven to maximum.
- Cut 250 g of goat cheese into small cubes, spread on one of the cakes, cover the second and pinch the edges.
- Use your finger to make several holes on the cake.
- Lubricate the surface with 50 ml of olive oil and sprinkle 1/2 tsp. salt.
- Bake over high heat for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Garlic focaccia
To prepare an Italian tortilla with a characteristic aroma, you must:
- In a small bowl, combine 7 g of yeast, a teaspoon of sugar and flour. Pour 3/4 cup of slightly warm water. Remove for 10 minutes until the appearance of foam, previously covered with cling film.
- In 2 1/3 cups flour, pour a teaspoon of salt. Add 3 crushed cloves of garlic and mix the mass with a knife. In the hole made in the center of the flour mixture, pour the prepared sponge and 2 tbsp. l olive oil. Stir the ingredients with a metal spoon until a tight dough is obtained.
- Knead ready-made semi-finished products on a table sprinkled with flour for about 10 minutes. At the end, form a ball and place in a deep bowl, oiled. Cover the bowl with cling film and wait for the dough to rise.
- After about 40 minutes, turn on the oven, sprinkle the bottom of the prepared shallow shape with a spoon of semolina.
- As soon as the semi-finished flour is raised, it must be kneaded for another 2 minutes until it becomes smooth.
- Place the dough in a mold and make deep holes on the surface, sprinkle with water and bake for 10 minutes. Repeat the procedure and return to the oven for the same amount of time.
- After 10 minutes, grease the Italian tortilla with olive oil (1 tbsp.) And sprinkle with sea salt (2 tsp.).
- Bake for 5 minutes.
Topping options for the previous recipe
The above version of focaccia can be prepared with additional ingredients:
- With cheese and chives. At the second stage, add finely grated Parmesan (1/3 tbsp.) And chopped onions (1/4 tbsp.) To the mixture.
- With cheese and bacon. After making holes on the surface of the Italian flat cake, sprinkle it with the following mixture: 1/3 cup grated cheddar and a few finely chopped slices of bacon. You can also add one chopped onion. Focaccia is baked according to the recipe, only without sprinkling with water.
- With anchovies, olives and peppers. Lubricate the holes made in the cake with a mixture consisting of half a glass of finely chopped olives, 1/2 chopped pepper and 50 g chopped anchovies. Bake according to the recipe, but without sprinkling with liquid.
Focaccia with onions and olives
Another recipe for making Italian bread with a bit of sophisticated technology:
- At the initial stage, heat the oven to 210 degrees and grease the mold with vegetable oil.
- Heat a spoonful of olive oil and fry 2 thinly chopped medium onions until golden, cool.
- In a bowl, mix a teaspoon of sugar and half a glass of milk. Pour in 15 g of yeast.
- In a separate bowl, mix 2 tbsp. ordinary and 3 tbsp. wholemeal. Add 1 tbsp. l caraway seeds.
- After 5 minutes, pour 1/2 cup of olive oil, beaten egg and 1 3/4 cup of warm water into the yeast mixture. Add the resulting mixture to flour ingredients and knead sticky dough.
- Distribute the semi-finished product in shape, and smooth the surface with greased hands in oil.
- Pressing firmly on top, sprinkle with fried onions and 1 cup chopped olives.
- Bake focaccia at 210 degrees for about 35 minutes.
The recipe for Italian tortillas stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes
As a basis, you can take the dough from previous technologies, and then follow the instructions:
- When the dough grows in volume several times, add 10 pcs. chopped dried tomatoes and knead thoroughly.
- Distribute the resulting workpiece with your hands on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a damp towel and leave for a quarter of an hour.
- Bake in a well preheated oven for about 15 minutes.
Fragrant Focaccia with Rosemary
Only 3 ingredients, 30 minutes of time and in front of you is a crispy cake with a pleasant spicy smell (take the dough from the previous recipe as the basis):
- Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil and roll out 300 g of dough on it, making the edges a little thicker. Lubricate the surface with olive oil (100 ml).
- Finely chop a sprig of rosemary and sprinkle on top of the cake mix.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees.
It seems that Italian flat bread has no shortcomings - the recipe is based on affordable products, the technology is simple, which means it's time to run to the kitchen and prepare an overseas flat cake at home.