Ligurian focaccia — dimpled flatbread saturated with good olive oil and finished with flaky salt — is the most olive-oil-forward bread preparation in the Italian repertoire. The technique differs from most flatbreads in that the oil is not a surface application — it is incorporated during the dough's resting period, pressing into the dimples made by the fingers, pooling in pockets across the bread's surface and baking into the crust. The result: a bread whose crumb is saturated with olive oil throughout, producing a flavour that comes from everywhere in the bread simultaneously.
- **The dough:** High-hydration (75–80%) — wetter than most bread doughs. The high water content produces the open, airy crumb structure and allows the dough to spread easily in the pan - **The olive oil quantity:** Generous — not applied as a thin coating but pooled in the pan beneath the dough, soaking into the base, and poured into the dimples. This quantity would seem excessive in any other bread preparation - **The dimpling:** The finger-dimpling is performed twice — once before the second rise, once just before baking. The dimples prevent the focaccia from rising to a smooth dome; they maintain the characteristic flat, dimpled surface and create the pools where oil collects - **The salt:** Flaky sea salt applied immediately before baking. The salt crystals partially dissolve into the oil during baking, distributing the salt flavour throughout the oil-saturated surface - **The bake:** Hot oven (220–230°C) for 20–25 minutes — the crust should be golden and crispy while the interior remains airy and moist
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