Focaccia Genovese

Genoese focaccia, also called fügassa, is known worldwide as one of the Ligurian recipes that best represents my homeland. We can say it is one of Genoa’s most quintessential local specialities.

Perhaps not everyone knows that focaccia originated as a type of “poor bread,” created to avoid wasting leftover dough. The scraps would be kneaded again, then flattened and baked using the oven’s residual heat—so nothing went to waste.

To make a good fugassa, you need two key elements: excellent flour and high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Oil is the real secret: a little goes into the dough, plus more underneath and on top. Focaccia should be oily enough that it greases your hands.

The recipe below is for a 30×40 cm baking tray. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find a calculator to adjust the quantities for your chosen tray.

Focaccia Genovese

The real Focaccia !

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Course Bread, Snack

Cuisine Italian

Equipment

• 30x40 cm Baking Tray -- if you have a different size baking tray look at calculator at the bottom of the page

Ingredients

  

Dough Ingredients

• 475 g Flour
• 285 g Water
• 45 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 10 g Honey
• 10 g Sea Salt
• 6 g Active Yeast

Brine (Salamoia)

• 40 g Warm Water
• 40 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 6 g Salt

Instructions

 

• Pour a couple of tablespoons of water into a glass and dissolve the salt in it.
• In a separate container, combine the remaining water, the honey, and the yeast, then let it rest for a few minutes.
• In a bowl (or a stand mixer with a dough hook), mix together the liquid mixture, the flour, and the oil. Lastly, add the dissolved salt. Knead for about 5 minutes.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, in a warm, draft-free place (the oven with just the light on is fine), cover it with a dish towel, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Now with oiled hands, perform four “folds” on the dough. Repeat this folding step three times more every 15 minutes.
• Now cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubles in volume—about 1½ hour.
• Once it has risen, generously oil the baking tray and flip the dough onto it. Stretch it out by hand from underneath toward the edges, flattening it so it covers the entire tray. (If it shrink let it rest for 5 minutes and try again)
• Use scissors to make small cuts across the dough so it soaks up the oil more effectively and doesn’t puff up too much.
• Make some dimples with your finger (be quite forceful with it) and then moisten the surface with the brine.
• Let the dough rest and rise again for at least half an hour
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C (static) and add some humidity (placing a small aluminium container with water in the oven is sufficient).
• Bake for about 20 minutes until it becomes golden (be careful with cooking times if you use different size baking trays). Let it cool slightly on a rack before serving.

Keyword Bread, Focaccia

PS: If you are wondering why there is a mug of ilk in the picture next to the focaccia, is because in Genoa we love to dunk in warm milk or a capuccino for breakfast.