Thin crispy focaccia recipe. Italian focaccia: three of the best recipes that any housewife will repeat

Food ecology: Italian cuisine, which is very popular in Russia, has given the world not only pizza and pasta, but also delicious focaccia - traditional bread with various fillings.

Italian cuisine, which is very popular in Russia, has given the world not only pizza and pasta, but also delicious focaccia - traditional bread with various fillings.

Some researchers tend to believe that it is focaccia that is a kind of ancestor of pizza, with the difference that in focaccia the emphasis is on the bread crust, and not on additional ingredients. Traditionally, in different regions of Italy, focaccia is baked according to local recipes: the shape and thickness may vary, the filling can be laid out both on top of the dough and baked inside the cake. Most often, before baking, the focaccia is generously smeared with olive oil with garlic and herbs and crushed the dough with your fingers, forming depressions in which this oil accumulates.

In today's review, we share the intricacies and secrets of making delicious focaccia at home and provide a recipe for Ligurian thin focaccia stuffed with cheese. Mama mia!

Seven Secrets of Vocal Preparation

• It is best to train on a round rather than a rectangular focaccia: a round dough is easier to roll out and stretch. Less touching in this case is the guarantee of fluffy dough with bubbles.
• After transferring to the mold, let the dough rise again and only after that proceed to baking - this will keep as much air as possible inside the cake.
• Pour a little olive oil into a baking dish - during the baking process, the bottom of the focaccia will absorb it, which will only add flavor and crunch to the product.

• If you want to make semi-fluffy focaccia, try using mineral water instead of water in the recipe. The result is a batter that, when baked on floured parchment paper, will produce a perfect mid-height layer.
• To add flavor to the focaccia, after the first rise of the dough, form a depression in the lump and add finely chopped sage or basil greens there.
• Pay attention to the temperature of the water: in order to make the right focaccia dough, it is important that it is warm. Too hot water can stop fermentation, too cold slow it down.
• Instead of using 100% butter, try brushing your focaccia with an emulsion of oil, water and salt so it doesn't dry out while baking.

Thin focaccia with soft cheese

This is a fairly simple focaccia, but with a little secret. The thinnest, like paper, layers of yeast-free dough hide delicate cheese. These ingredients are enough to prepare 3-4 crispy cakes.

Ingredients:

• Water0.2 liters
• Olive oil 0.1 liters + a few tablespoons for greasing
• Salt 2 tsp + a pinch for sprinkling
• Flour 3 cups
• Soft spreading cheese500 g

Cooking method:

In a medium bowl, combine the water, olive oil, salt, and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon until smooth. While constantly stirring with a spoon, gradually add the remaining 2 cups of flour - the result should be a smooth mixture without lumps.

In a bowl, knead a firm dough with your hands for 5 minutes. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it brew for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and grease a baking sheet or round pizza dish with olive oil.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and keep the unused lumps under a towel or wrapped in plastic wrap until needed.

On a floured work surface, first roll out the ball of dough with a rolling pin, and then begin to gently stretch it with your hands, trying to get the thinnest layers possible.

Transfer the first layer to a baking dish and place the cheese slices on top. Take another layer of dough, stretch it and cover the base with it. Using a knife, rolling pin, or your hands, tap the edges of the focaccia to loosen any excess dough. Then seal the layers with your fingers.

Pinch the top of the dough in several places, thus forming holes for the steam to escape. Brush the top of the focaccia with a little oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and bake for 7 minutes until golden brown.

Focaccia dough can also be frozen by wrapping it tightly in two layers of plastic and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. Frozen dough can be stored for up to 3 months.published

Today we will go on a culinary journey and get acquainted with the recipes for the preparation of the Italian national bread, known as focaccia. It can be served with the first courses, as well as with any side dishes. And the Italians use thin and crispy focaccia as the basis for delicious pizza. So, we meet the best recipes for this dish.

Let's start with the focaccia recipe used by Italian chefs. Taking it as a basis, you can cook delicious pizza with a variety of toppings. There is nothing complicated in it, the main thing is to clearly observe the indicated proportions.

Hostesses, take note! Italians like to add crushed rosemary to focaccia dough. Such pastries are fragrant and spicy in taste.

Compound:

• 3 art. sifted flour;
• 1-1.5 tsp table salt;
• 1 ½ tsp dry yeast;
• 1 ½ st. purified water;
• olive oil;
• 2 branches of rosemary.

Cooking:

• Combine flour with 1 tsp. salt and yeast, stir.

Advice! Pour water in a thin stream, stirring the contents of the bowl all the time.

• We knead the base for focaccia and leave, covering the container with a film, overnight in a warm place.

• In the morning we heat the oven to a temperature mark of 220 degrees.
• In a heat-resistant form, add 3-4 tbsp. l. olive oils.

• Chop the rosemary sprigs and sprinkle them over the dough.
• Bake the focaccia for 20-25 minutes. Focaccia with rosemary is ready!

Cooking yeast-free focaccia

A great alternative to regular bread is yeast-free focaccia. Its recipe is simple and will not cause you any difficulties. And to give the baked goods an unusual taste, add Riccotta cheese to the dish.

Compound:

• 2 tbsp. sifted flour;
• ½ st. mineral water;
• 200 g of cheese;
• 1-2 tbsp. l. olive oils;
• salt.

Cooking:

• Sift the flour and mix with olive oil, mineral water and salt.

• Roll the base into a ball, cover and leave for an hour.

Attention: we will get two focaccias. You can wrap two pastry cakes with cling film and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

• We roll out each cake so that it matches the size of the heat-resistant form.
• We grease the form with olive oil and gently stretch the dough onto it with our hands, as shown in the photo.

• We also stretch the second layer of dough and cover it with the first layer with cheese. We connect the edges.

• We heat the oven to a temperature threshold of 220 degrees.
• Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough on the baking sheet so that there is nothing superfluous.

• Then we lower the dough into a mold, pinch the edges and sprinkle with olive oil.
• And so that the base does not rise during baking, we will make several small holes on the surface of the workpiece.

• Bake the focaccia for 8-10 minutes. Increase the temperature threshold if necessary.

And this pastry will be the perfect addition to a picnic. Delicious and fragrant focaccia will fill your day with bright colors and will surely win the hearts of all your guests and household members. Ready for an unforgettable picnic? Then go ahead - conquer new culinary horizons!

Compound:

• 2 ½ st. sifted flour;
• 1/3 st. warm purified water;
• 7 g dry yeast;
• 1 tsp granulated sugar;
• 2 tsp table salt;
• 3 art. l. olive oils;
• 3-4 garlic cloves;
• a mixture of fragrant herbs;
• dill.

Cooking:

• Dilute the yeast in warm purified water.
• Add granulated sugar, salt and introduce the sifted flour in small portions, kneading a tight base. Leave the dough for an hour so that it, as they say, fits.
• Wash and chop the dill. Combine it with fragrant herbs, add garlic cloves passed through the press, mix the filling.
• We roll out the base in the shape of an oval and distribute the filling in the middle.

• Lubricate the workpiece with olive oil and leave for half an hour.
• We bake focaccia for 20-25 minutes at a temperature mark of 180-190 degrees.
• This is the bread we made.

Unusual appetizer from a famous chef

So, we have focaccia on the menu today. Her recipe from Jamie Oliver is interesting and unusual. Its charm is that focaccia is prepared with two types of delicious fillings. As a result, you will get two dishes. The chef advises choosing whole grain flour as the basis for the dough.

Compound:

• 0.5 kg of whole grain flour;
• 7 g dry yeast;
• 330 ml of purified water;
• 4-5 cherry tomatoes;
• 4 tbsp. l. olive oils;
• a bunch of basil;
• table and sea salt;
• 4 things. young potatoes;
• 1 st. l. thyme;
• 30 g cheese.

Attention: for focaccia, it is better to choose blue cheese.

Cooking:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water.
• From the sifted flour we make a slide with a recess and pour the yeast mixture into it. Add quite a bit of salt and knead the resulting mass with a spoon.

Attention! Do not be afraid that the focaccia will turn out unsalted, then we will sprinkle the filling with coarse sea salt. It will be much tastier that way.

• When the ingredients, as they say, are held together, we introduce 2 tbsp. l. olive oils. Knead the base for the focaccia.

On a note! The dough must be kneaded for at least eight minutes. We do it this way: first we stretch the base, then we connect it, we stretch it again, etc.

• We cover the base with a film and leave it to approach for an hour.
• Next, divide the dough into two equal parts.
• Sprinkle the form in which we will bake the focaccia with sifted flour, and semolina can also be used.
• Lay out the first part of the dough and stretch it in shape.
• Pour a spoonful of olive oil, smear it and make as many indentations as possible with your fingers.
• We perform the same actions with the second part of the dough, laying it on another baking sheet.
• Preparing the filling for the first focaccia. Separate the basil leaves and press each one into the base over the entire surface.
• Cherry cut into four parts. Lay the tomato quarters on top of the basil.
• Now sprinkle the workpiece with sea salt. If desired, you can add ground pepper.
• We take a clean, damp piece of fabric and cover the workpiece with it for forty minutes. Thanks to this simple action, the dough will rise and, as it were, eat our filling.
• In the meantime, let's do the second focaccia. Sprinkle it with thyme.
• Peel and boil the potatoes in advance, cut into cubes.
• We spread the root crops on top of the base, pressing them a little. We do the same with cheese.
• Salt the workpiece and cover with a damp cloth for forty minutes.
• Now it remains only to bake the focaccia at a temperature mark of 200 degrees for twenty-five minutes.

Italian Focaccia is one of the most popular ancient types of bread that have survived to this day. This crispy flatbread was born thanks to the ingenuity of the villagers, who made up for the lack of food with their irrepressible imagination. From one classic recipe in modern cuisine, many baking options with a variety of seasonings were born. It is believed that focaccia was the first in Italy.

Even the famous one is just an evolved descendant of flat bread. Paradoxically, having arisen due to the need to save money, today the flatbread has settled in the ranks of the menu of prestigious restaurants. Let's forget about our figure for a while and dive into the delicious world of Italian focaccia.

Most historians believe that focaccia first appeared during the time of the Etruscans in northern Italy. Its name comes from the Roman "panis focacius", which translates as "bread in the center of the fire." In the era, the cake was baked in the ashes left after the fire, and not over the flame.

The Roman recipe for focaccia consisted of coarse flour, olive oil, water, and a small amount of yeast and salt.

In those days, they ate it quite simply, tearing it with their hands and dipping it in water acidified with vinegar. In our time, such a meal does not sound very appetizing, but for people languishing from hard physical labor, the main task was to eat cheaply and satisfyingly.

In the Middle Ages, focaccia was widely used during religious festivities. But most often it is served during the sacrament of the Eucharist as "the body of Christ." This tradition came from the great availability of unleavened bread. Although some argue that its recipe is pure and untainted by foreign ingredients, and thus perfectly symbolizes the Lord, free from sin.

To speak of focaccia today is to imply (Liguria). It was this northern region that became the mother of a huge number of varieties of cakes. But in addition to the Ligurian varieties of bread, almost every region of Italy has its own traditional way of making it.

Data

The classic focaccia dough contains 5 main ingredients: flour, water, olive oil, salt and yeast. The form of baking is absolutely not limited. It can be round, square, in the form of elongated stripes. Traditionally, the yeast cake is tender, porous and has a thickness of 1.5-2 cm. The yeast-free bread is thin and crispy.

Based on the classic focaccia, many variants of the product have been created. Many of them characterize the original name. For example, in Liguria 3 versions are the most popular:

1. Focaccia Genovese (Focaccia Genovese or Focaccia classica di Genova)- This is a classic pastry, characterized by a glossy, buttery crust and a light, porous crumb. Its height varies between 1-2 cm.
2. Focaccia di Recco (Focaccia di Recco or Focaccia col formaggio)- a thin yeast-free cake with a layer.
3. Focaccia di Voltri- bread, which contains the same components as in the classic version. But it differs significantly in appearance and taste characteristics. This is a thin, crispy product with large air bubbles.

Outside of Liguria, there are also unusual variations. So, in the north-west of Italy, sweet focaccia (focaccia dolce) is common. It is sprinkled with sugar, supplemented with raisins, honey or other sweet ingredients. In South Tyrol, they have a special love for flatbread with potatoes and rosemary (focaccia con patate e rosmarino).

In fact, there are many ways to improve the famous product. We will talk about this below, but for now let's move on to the classic focaccia recipe.

Classic recipe

Everyone knows that only knowledge of the classics in most recipes helps to experiment and create incredible masterpieces.

The flat cake is tasty not only in combination with numerous fillings, but also in its natural form - with rosemary.

And the aroma that envelops the whole house with fresh pastries will not leave anyone indifferent. We guarantee that nothing is easier than making classic focaccia.

Components required for the test:

• Flour from soft varieties of wheat of fine grinding - 350 g;
• Boiled water at room temperature - 210 g;
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp. spoon;
• Dry yeast - 7 g;
• Sugar - 2 teaspoons;
• Salt - 5 g.

Surface lubrication ingredients:

• Olive oil - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• Salt is a pinch.

Note that in the manufacture of the product at home, Italian grade 00 flour is used.

So, we combine dry flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Add water and oil and knead the dough until elastic. We send it to an enameled container and cover with a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place. Ideal option: preheat the oven to 50 degrees, turn off the heat and, placing a bowl of dough in it, close the door tightly.

After a while, we take the dough in our hands and gently knead for about a minute to “expel” the air from the inside. Then we evenly distribute it in a pre-oiled baking dish (35 * 28 cm), cover and let rise again.

With your fingertips, make indentations over the entire surface of the cake and leave for the last time for 10 minutes. The final touch: brush the focaccia with oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 25 minutes.

Of course, fresh pastries have the richest taste. But, nevertheless, you can store your bread in a cloth bag for about 2 days. In this case, it is recommended to slightly heat it in the oven before use.

Preparing thin focaccia

To prepare a thin cake, we need the same ingredients and in the same quantity as for the classic version.

The difference between the processes begins after kneading the dough. We divide it into 4 parts. We form balls, put on a baking sheet sprinkled with flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 70-90 minutes.

When the volume of the dough increases by about 2 times, then it's time to move on to the next step. We transfer the balls one by one to a floured work surface and roll out thin disks with a diameter of about 30 cm.

In this case, the time for raising the test is not maintained. Lubricate the cake with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake in an oven preheated to 250 degrees for 4-6 minutes.

The finished focaccia is flat and crispy. It is unevenly “decorated” with large air bubbles.

Recipe without yeast

For the most part, yeast focaccia is baked on the territory of the republic. But when it comes to cakes with filling inside, then most often the dough for it does not contain yeast.

We will need:

• Flour - 250 g;
• Water - 120 ml;
• Olive oil - 30 ml (+ for lubrication);
• Salt - a pinch;
• Soft cheese (ideally stracchino) - 300 g.

If you do not have the opportunity to buy, replace it with any soft curd. In the most hopeless situation, you can take processed cheese.

At the beginning of cooking, sift the flour into a deep bowl, pour a pinch of salt into the center of which and pour in water and oil. Mix everything well until the dough is homogeneous. Cover with a lid and let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll out with a rolling pin to a thickness of no more than 2 mm. Evenly distribute the pieces of cheese on one layer and cover with another, pinching the edges. Grease the surface with a little olive oil.

Bake in a convection oven preheated to 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and your focaccia with cheese is ready to eat.

Filling options

There are so many options for focaccia fillings that you can make your favorite cake, focusing only on your mood and desire.

To obtain a fragrant version of the product, spicy herbs are used: rosemary, sage, basil, oregano. They sprinkle the surface of the dough, after greasing with olive oil. Seasonally, focaccia is garnished with tomatoes before baking. As a rule, cherry fruits, cut in half, are used for this.

In yeast form, chopped onion or garlic is often put in the dough. Although some prefer to see these spicy vegetables on the surface of the bread. At the same time, onions are placed on it before baking, and garlic - after (as well as fresh herbs).

Unlike classic focaccia, the yeast-free version practically requires the presence of a filling. In addition to the mentioned cheese, for these purposes they take:

• Pieces, bacon, minced meat;
• Potatoes and other vegetables or vegetable mixtures (often cooked);
• Sweet versions include raisins, nuts, jams and pieces of fresh fruit.

Today, focaccia with pesto sauce is very popular. It is prepared in two ways:

1. Spread the sauce on a yeast cake before baking;
2. Slices of boiled potatoes are placed on a thin dough (with or without yeast), which is then covered with Pesto. A second layer of dough is placed on top of the resulting “pyramid”, pressing the edges tightly.

To be honest, decorating and stuffing Italian bread has no specific restrictions. Use your wild imagination to the maximum and enjoy the result.

calories

Like most white types of bread, nutritionists around the world perceive Italian focaccia with hostility. With a sufficiently high calorie content (249 kcal per 100 g), it has practically no nutritional value. The energy balance of 100 g of the product consists of:

• Proteins - 8.8 g;
• Fats - 7.9 g;
• Carbohydrates - 36 g.

A large amount of carbohydrates in the composition of the cake automatically translates it into the ranks of products that need to be consumed with caution by people with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Mineral salt is negligible in bread. However, people with hypertension should adjust their diet to include focaccia to avoid spikes in blood pressure.

The presence of gluten indicates that the product should be completely excluded from the diet of people with celiac disease.

A nice plus tortillas is vitamin E in the amount of 2.22 mg per 100 g. This is approximately 20-30% of the daily requirement of the body of an adult. Tocopherol is a powerful antioxidant. It is involved in the work of the reproductive system, prevents the formation of blood clots, and is also responsible for a healthy appearance of the skin.

To summarize, we recall that everything is good in moderation. By limiting a portion of focaccia to 50-70 g, you will not only not harm your body, but also get an easy pleasure.

Softly and gently, in the most delicious way, we have come to the end of the article. Live sweetly, love honestly, bake festively and remember: "Without a pancake - not Shrovetide, without focaccia - not Italy!"

↘️🇮🇹 USEFUL ARTICLES AND SITES 🇮🇹↙️ SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Italian cuisine, which is very popular in Russia, has given the world not only pizza and pasta, but also delicious focaccia - traditional bread with various fillings.

Some researchers tend to believe that it is focaccia that is a kind of ancestor of pizza, with the difference that in focaccia the emphasis is on the bread crust, and not on additional ingredients. Traditionally, in different regions of Italy, focaccia is baked according to local recipes: the shape and thickness may vary, the filling can be laid out both on top of the dough and baked inside the cake. Most often, before baking, the focaccia is generously smeared with olive oil with garlic and herbs and crushed the dough with your fingers, forming depressions in which this oil accumulates.

In today's review, we share the intricacies and secrets of making delicious focaccia at home and provide a recipe for Ligurian thin focaccia stuffed with cheese. Mama mia!

Seven Secrets of Vocal Preparation

It is best to train on a round rather than a rectangular focaccia: a round dough is easier to roll out and stretch. Less touching in this case is the guarantee of fluffy dough with bubbles.

After transferring to the mold, let the dough rise again and only after that proceed to baking - this will keep as much air as possible inside the cake.

Pour a little olive oil into a baking dish - during the baking process, the bottom of the focaccia will absorb it, which will only add flavor and crunch to the product.

If you want to make semi-fluffy focaccia, try using mineral water instead of water in the recipe. The result is a batter that, when baked on floured parchment paper, will produce a perfect mid-height layer.

To add flavor to the focaccia, after the first rise of the dough, form a depression in the lump and add finely chopped sage or basil greens there.

Pay attention to the temperature of the water: in order to make the right focaccia dough, it is important that it is warm. Too hot water can stop fermentation, too cold slow it down.

Instead of using 100% butter, try brushing your focaccia with an emulsion of oil, water and salt so it doesn't dry out while baking.

Thin focaccia with soft cheese

This is a fairly simple focaccia, but with a little secret. The thinnest, like paper, layers of yeast-free dough hide delicate cheese. These ingredients are enough to prepare 3-4 crispy cakes.

Ingredients

Water 0.2 liters
Olive oil 0.1 liters + a few tablespoons for greasing
Salt 2 tsp + a pinch for sprinkling
Flour 3 cups
Soft spreading cheese 500 g

Cooking method

In a medium bowl, combine the water, olive oil, salt, and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon until smooth. While constantly stirring with a spoon, gradually add the remaining 2 cups of flour - the result should be a smooth mixture without lumps.

In a bowl, knead a firm dough with your hands for 5 minutes. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it brew for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and grease a baking sheet or round pizza dish with olive oil.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and keep the unused lumps under a towel or wrapped in plastic wrap until needed.

On a floured work surface, first roll out the ball of dough with a rolling pin, and then begin to gently stretch it with your hands, trying to get the thinnest layers possible.

Transfer the first layer to a baking dish and place the cheese slices on top. Take another layer of dough, stretch it and cover the base with it. Using a knife, rolling pin, or your hands, tap the edges of the focaccia to loosen any excess dough. Then seal the layers with your fingers.

Pinch the top of the dough in several places, thus forming holes for the steam to escape. Brush the top of the focaccia with a little oil, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and bake for 7 minutes until golden brown.

Focaccia dough can also be frozen by wrapping it tightly in two layers of plastic and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. Frozen dough can be stored up to 3 months.

Bon appetit!

simple focaccia

Focaccia- a large, in the whole pan, cake made from yeast dough - this is no longer bread, but also not a pie. At home, in Liguria, it is not eaten as an addition to other food - it is an independent type of pastry for breakfast or afternoon tea. Initially, it was baked without additives, later they began to sprinkle the dough before baking. herbs, olives, bow. Over time, they went tomatoes, anchovies, cheese... But it already turns out almost pizza! In fact, focaccia is its predecessor.
Focaccia dough I use a simple yeast-free, no-dip, so the whole process is relatively quick, but the result is great nonetheless. Therefore, probably, focaccia spread first outside Ligiria, and then Italy. And it often began to be used already as instant bread.

SIMPLE FOCACCIA RECIPE

NECESSARY:

500 g flour (+ flour for dusting the work surface)
15 g pressed yeast (1 tsp dry fast acting)
275-280 ml water
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp. l. olive oil
Olive oil for lubrication
Coarse salt for sprinkling
A sprig of fresh or 2 pinches of dried rosemary

HOW TO COOK:

1. Sift the flour into a bowl (mixer bowl), make a depression in the center, crumble the yeast (or add dry yeast), pour in a little water from the total amount, stir, grabbing a little flour to form a slurry. Leave for 15 minutes - the mixture will actively foam.

2. Pour salt and, gradually pouring in the remaining water, knead a soft sticky dough. Knead with your hands or with a mixer until the dough begins to fall behind your hands and bowl, remaining slightly sticky.

3. Pour in the oil while continuing to stir. The dough will almost stop sticking to your hands.

4. Put the dough on a thickly floured table, grease the bowl with oil, quickly form a ball from the dough, turning the edges inward, place it in the greased bowl with the smooth side up. Cover the bowl with foil and put in a warm place to rise - the dough should increase in volume by 2-2.5 times, it will take about 40 minutes.

5. Turn the dough over onto a piece of baking paper the size of the baking sheet. Pressing gently with your hands, spread the dough over the surface. Cover and leave to proof for 30 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven along with the baking sheet to 220 ° C.

6. Sprinkle the dough with water, grease with olive oil, make indentations over the entire surface with your fingers to remove large air bubbles, distribute rosemary leaves, sprinkle with coarse salt.

Focaccia - baking

7. Quickly remove a hot baking sheet from the oven, put the dough on it with paper, put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden.

8. Cool on a wire rack.

BY THE WAY: depending on what kind of flour you use, focaccia can be made more "rubber", bready (bread flour), or more tender, "pie" (refined flour). The amount of water will fluctuate.