Bari, Puglia
A potato pizza unique to the Bari area: a thick, yielding dough enriched with mashed potato (replacing much of the wheat flour), pressed into a well-oiled round pan, dimpled with fingertips, dressed with fresh tomato, olive oil, dried oregano, and black olives, then baked in a hot oven until the surface blisters and the bottom is golden and crisp. Related to focaccia barese but distinct — the potato creates a much softer, almost cake-like interior.
Soft, potato-enriched interior with a deeply golden fried bottom, topped with blistered tomato, wild oregano, and olive oil — the Barese answer to pizza, entirely its own
{"Potato at 30–40% of total dough weight — too much and the dough won't develop structure","Floury potatoes (Agria, Russet) cooked, riced, and cooled before mixing into the dough","The dough is very wet (80% hydration total including potato moisture) — handle with oiled hands, not floured","Pan must be generously oiled (50ml olive oil) before adding dough — the oil fries the bottom during baking","Dimple aggressively with wet fingertips; top with fresh tomatoes cut in half face-down"}
{"Capers and desalted anchovies distributed over the surface are the Bari fisherman's variation","The pitta should be eaten within 2 hours of baking — the potato interior stales faster than regular bread","A drizzle of raw olive oil immediately after baking brightens the flavour"}
{"Watery boiled potatoes — excess moisture creates a dense, heavy pitta","Under-oiling the pan — the bottom becomes dry rather than achieving the characteristic fried-bottom crust","Dried tomatoes instead of fresh — they burn at the required temperature"}
La Cucina Pugliese — Carmela Pomilio