Beyond the Recipe

Focaccia Barese all'Olio e Pomodorini

What the recipe doesn't tell you

Puglia — Bari · Puglia — Bread & Flatbread

Where This Comes From

Bari's focaccia — dramatically different from Ligurian focaccia in every way. The dough contains boiled potato (patata lessa) for extraordinary internal softness, olive oil in generous quantities both inside and below in the pan, and the entire surface is dimpled deeply with fingers before topping with cherry tomatoes (cut-side down, pressed in), dried oregano, and coarse salt. Baked at maximum temperature on an olive-oil-soaked baking tray, the base fries in the oil while the top bronzes.

The Context

Puglia — Bari

Why It Works

Rich olive oil, sweet cherry tomato, dried oregano, salt-crusted top, crisp fried bottom, feather-soft interior — deeply satisfying, intensely olive-oily

What the Recipe Won't Tell You

Where It Goes Wrong

Using too-cold water — potato focaccia is particularly sensitive to yeast temperature; water should be 28–30°C Insufficient olive oil in the pan — the characteristic crisp, fried bottom cannot develop without the pan being generously oiled Under-proofing — the dough must double in the pan before baking; rushing produces a dense, bread-like crumb rather than airy softness Small dimples — shallow impressions close up in the oven and the olive oil pools are lost

The Principles Behind It

Boiled potato: 100g riced potato per 500g flour — the potato starch absorbs water differently than flour, producing an exceptionally soft, moist crumb that stays fresh for 2 days High hydration: 75–80% water — the dough is very soft and wet; it is pressed (not rolled) into the oiled pan Olive oil generosity: 4–5 tbsp in the dough, 3–4 tbsp in the pan, 2 tbsp drizzled over the surface before topping — Barese focaccia is essentially fried on its base Dimple forcefully with wet fingers — deep dimples hold olive oil pools and keep the surface from over-puffing Pomodorini cut-side down, pressed flush — the tomato juice releases into the dimples during baking, flavouring the surrounding dough

The Same Idea, Everywhere

— Focaccia genovese — Both use olive oil generously and dimpling — but Barese focaccia uses potato for softness and tomato topping where Genovese stays plain with sea salt

— Sfincione Palermitano — Both are olive-oil-rich Sicilian/Southern Italian thick-base focaccias with tomato topping — sfincione adds anchovy and onion, barese keeps it simpler

— Pide with tomato and cheese — Flatbread baked on an oiled surface with fresh tomato pressed into the surface — both develop caramelised tomato juice pools into the dough