Focaccia Ligure
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Providing an Italian recipe should be an easy task as we all have our favourite crowd-pleasing Italian dishes, but in reality there is no such thing as ‘National Italian’ food as each region has its own strong culinary traditions and its own distinctive take on the same dish. Here’s a tip for picking a good Italian restaurants here in the UK, always pick one that offers regional cooking as you stand a better chance of savouring genuine Italian food. You can find a version of focaccia everywhere in Italy, this one is from my sister’s trattoria in my hometown of Genoa, on the secluded Ligurian coast. In Liguria focaccia is a constant presence, it is accompanied by an espresso at breakfast in any bar; it is stuffed with tomatoes and mozzarella or prosciutto for lunch; as a snack in the mid-afternoon and proudly features next to an Aperol Spritz for a pre-dinner Aperitivo. Buon appetito Stefania Sportelli Website Manager |
Ingredients
| 300 grams good quality strong bread flour |
| 7 grams dried yeast |
| 1 tsp sugar |
| 1 tsp honey |
| 2 tsp salt |
| Extra virgin olive oil |
| 220 ml water |
| Coarse sea salt |
Method
1. Place flour, yeast and sugar in a bowl
2. Add water and honey and mix well for at least five minutes
3. Add salt and mix for another 15 minutes
4. Cover bowl with cling film and leave to rest for two hours
5. After that time oil the bottom of a baking tray and spread dough
6. Brush some oil on top and leave to rest for another hour
7. After that time spread the dough some more and with your fingertips make holes all over the surface
8. Fill half a glass with half water and half oil and mix well
9. Brush the oil/water all over the surface but keep some for later, and spread coarse sea salt, you could also add some rosemary at this stage if desired
10. Place in a pre-heated oven at 250 degrees for 15 minutes
11. Brush the remaining oil/water and leave to rest for five minutes before serving
12. Best eaten while warm