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1
Combine the semola and bread flour in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and pour it into the flour, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Add the salt and the 30 ml of olive oil. Work the dough with a wet hand or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for 8–10 minutes. The dough is correct when it is cohesive, very wet, and pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl — it will remain slack and sticky throughout; add no flour.
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2
Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, approximately 2 hours — or, for deeper flavour and a more open crumb, transfer to the refrigerator and leave overnight, then bring to room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding.
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3
Pour 45–60 ml of extra-virgin olive oil into a 30 cm round baking pan or heavy sheet pan. The oil must pool visibly and generously across the entire base. Tip the risen dough into the pan and, using oiled hands, press and stretch it to the edges. If it springs back, rest it for 10 minutes and continue. The dough is ready when it covers the base in an even layer.
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4
This is where the focaccia lives or dies. Using all ten fingertips, dimple the dough deeply and vigorously across its entire surface — press firmly, almost to the base of the pan. The dimples must be pronounced; shallow impressions will close during the second rise and the characteristic pooled-oil texture will be lost. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the surface so that oil collects in every indentation.
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5
Press the halved tomatoes cut-side down into the dimples, embedding them firmly so they do not lift during baking. Distribute the pitted olives across the surface. Scatter the flaky salt over all. Leave the topped dough to rise, uncovered, for 30–45 minutes, until the dough has visibly puffed around the toppings.
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6
Heat the oven to 230°C (fan 210°C), placing a shelf in the lower third of the oven. Bake for 20–25 minutes. The focaccia is done when the top is deeply golden, the tomatoes are blistered and have released their juices into the dough, and — critically — the base is crisp and deeply golden-brown. To test, slide a palette knife or thin spatula under the edge: the focaccia should move freely in its pan, its bottom almost crackling against the metal from the oil that has fried it.
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7
Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then slide onto a wire rack or board. The underside should be a uniform deep amber. Serve warm or at room temperature.