Italian focaccia of green olives and rosemary

How to prepare Italian focaccia .

This traditional Italian ” bread ” is a simple and straightforward preparation, made with basic ingredients, similar to pizza dough .

It is a very versatile food, which can be enjoyed as such, as an aperitif, or become a more complete dish if we add ingredients to taste: cheese, vegetables, sausage, etc.

The simplest focaccia is usually prepared with only olive oil, salt and rosemary. Today I am going to add some green olives to give it a Mediterranean touch , and it will be delicious. With the focaccia the miracle of a simple dough becomes something tasty and exquisite. And it is that once again an Italian dish conquers my kitchen, and I hope that you too as soon as you try it.

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It is a simple recipe but I warn you that it takes time to prepare it, because you must respect the times of softening and rest of the dough.

Preparation of the Italian focaccia

1. The basis for our focaccia will be to prepare a simple dough.
2. In a large bowl , add the strength flour , the dry yeast, and the sugar. Mix well with your hands or with a spoon. If you use fresh yeast, I recommend dissolving it in warm water.
3. Then we make a hole in the middle of the flour and pour the water. We are mixing little by little, working with the hands, from outside to inside.
4. We add the oil, we incorporate it into the dough, and we also add the salt.
5. Once we have a more or less compact mass, we continue working it on the counter.
6. We pour flour on it, remove the dough from the bowl. We knead without stopping for about 10-12 minutes. It will gain elasticity and will be very homogeneous.
7. We make a ball with the dough. We put flour in the bowl that we have used and place the dough.
8. We leave to soften for 60 minutes, in a dry place and if possible warm. Cover with a clean cotton cloth.
9. Over time it will have more or less doubled in volume. We remove the dough from the bowl, and we give it again a brief kneading so that it takes volume.

Dough, baking and final presentation of Italian focaccia

1. In a metal tray (in my case it is 21 × 30 cm.). We pour a little oil and grease evenly.
2. We spread the dough with the help of the fingers, pressing towards the corners. If you are choking on the process, use a kitchen rolling pin and then put it on the tray. We will have a height of between 1.5-2 cm.
3. With the fingertips we make some holes in the dough. Sprinkle a little coarse salt.
4. Sprinkle the surface of the dough with olive oil, place the sliced ​​olives and the rosemary leaves. Let it rest for another 30 minutes.
5. We preheat the oven to 250º C for 10 minutes, in the “total heat” function (or similar).
6. Now we place “up-down”, introduce the tray / pan and bake 15 minutes at that temperature. If you see that your oven hurries a lot, cover the focaccia with aluminum foil, so that it does not burn.
7. We remove from the oven and let it warm before consuming.
8. A spongy dough remains, with air inside and very tasty.
9. You can enjoy it warm or even cold. I have not had anything left, but if it is the case, store it in a covered container and it will last you about 2 days in good condition.

You can see all the photos of the recipe in the step by step of the Italian focaccia recipe. If you have doubts, follow the photos and you will get a perfect Italian bread.

Recommendations for a fluffy focaccia

• The name focaccia   means ” loaf ” in Italian, and comes from the Latin “focus” (fire). That is, a piece of bread dough cooked over a fire. Its origin dates back to the times of the ancient Etruscans or Greeks, ending today as one of the most typical dishes of Italian gastronomy.
• With emigration to Latin American countries, he arrived in Argentina and Uruguay, where he is very present in his gastronomy, along with other popular dishes such as pizza and pasta. Some of the richest focaccias I have eaten has been at the home of Argentine friends, whose grandparents emigrated to Buenos Aires many decades ago.
• Based on Italian documents, some link it to the town of Recco, in the province of Genoa. In the 16th century, the population was besieged by pirates, and the staple food was based on a dough made with flour, oil and salt. Another story relates the focaccia also to that area of ​​Liguria, because olive trees abound in it, and oil is one of the key ingredients of this elaboration.
• Today I have prepared it with these ingredients but the focaccia admits almost everything you want. We can add onion, tomato, with or without cheese, anchovies, ham, etc. You can experiment and make the variations that most appeal to you.