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Focaccia Bread the Genovese Way (Fugàssa)

Focaccia Bread

This is the real Ligurian focaccia bread — wet, well-hydrated dough flooded with a salty olive oil brine that pools in deep finger dimples and bakes into a glossy, crackling crust. The crumb stays soft and airy, the edges go crisp, and every bite tastes of fruity green olive oil and the sea. Nothing fancy on top, just the way Genoa does it.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
Servings: 10 Pieces
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 285
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups 00 flour about 17.5 oz, soft Italian wheat flour
  • 1.5 cups warm water around 95 F, divided
  • 0.5 oz fresh brewer's yeast or 1 envelope active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp honey or malt extract
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 0.33 cup extra virgin olive oil Ligurian Taggiasca preferred, divided
  • 0.25 cup extra virgin olive oil for the salamoia brine
  • 0.25 cup warm water for the salamoia brine
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt for the salamoia brine
  • 1 tbsp coarse sea salt flaky, for finishing

Equipment

  • 1 Large mixing bowl
  • 1 13x9 inch rimmed baking pan metal, for best crust
  • 1 Small bowl for the salamoia brine
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 plastic wrap or damp cloth for covering the dough

Method
 

  1. Crumble the fresh brewer's yeast into 1 cup of the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add the honey and whisk until fully dissolved. Let it sit for 5 minutes until you see a few bubbles forming on the surface.
  2. Add the 00 flour to the bowl along with the fine sea salt and 3 tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil. Begin mixing with a wooden spoon, gradually adding the remaining half cup of warm water as needed. The dough should be wet, sticky, and shaggy — do not be tempted to add more flour.
  3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. With oiled hands, fold the dough over itself for 2 to 3 minutes, gently stretching and tucking until it comes together into a smooth, slack ball.
  4. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise at warm room temperature for 2 hours, until at least doubled in size and visibly bubbly.
  5. Pour the remaining olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) into the 13x9 inch baking pan and spread it across the bottom and up the sides with your fingertips.
  6. Tip the risen dough into the oiled pan. With oiled fingertips, gently stretch and press the dough to fill the pan in an even layer about three-quarters of an inch thick. If the dough resists, let it rest 10 minutes and try again.
  7. Cover loosely with a damp cloth and let the dough proof in the pan for 1 hour, until pillowy and puffed.
  8. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 475 F.
  9. Make the salamoia: in a small bowl, whisk together one quarter cup warm water, one quarter cup extra virgin olive oil, and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt until cloudy and emulsified.
  10. Press deep dimples all over the surface of the dough using the pads of your fingertips. Go almost down to the bottom of the pan, leaving a craggy field of holes about 1 inch apart.
  11. Pour the salamoia evenly over the entire surface, letting it pool and flood the dimples. Scatter the coarse sea salt across the top.
  12. Bake on the center rack for 22 to 25 minutes, until the top is deeply golden, the edges are crisp and pulling away from the pan, and the surface is glossy with oil.
  13. Lift the focaccia out of the pan onto a wire rack so the bottom does not steam. Let it rest 10 minutes, then cut into squares with a serrated knife and serve warm.

Notes

  • Use the best extra virgin olive oil you can find — Ligurian Taggiasca is traditional, but any fruity green oil works.
  • The dough should look wet and slack. Resist adding more flour.
  • In Genoa this is eaten for breakfast dunked into a cappuccino, or alongside a glass of chilled Vermentino with cured meats and a spoonful of pesto.
  • Store wrapped in a clean cloth at room temperature for one day, or freeze slices and reheat in a hot oven.