Olive Focaccia

Name: Olive Focaccia
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: ¾ teaspoon dried yeast (about 2g); Pinch sugar; ⅔ cup warm water (160ml); 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting (1⅔ cups/9oz); Salt flakes, to taste; ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing (80ml); 2 tablespoons pitted Ligurian olives (30g/1oz)

My focaccia recipe is inspired by Ligurian restaurateur Lucio Galletto, who uses more water and oil in his recipe than most I’ve seen (see video below). Liguria is famous for the tiny, tasty Taggiasche olives that make the most delicate olive oil. They’re also known as Niçoise olives and popular preserved in oil on both sides of the Provence/Liguria border. They’re great scattered over focaccia dough too to make this olive focaccia. Ideally use the pitted ones so no one accidentally bites down on a seed. See my pissaladiere recipe, for a Provençal variation.

Serves 4 as a starter, side dish or snack

Ingredients

¾ teaspoon dried yeast (about 2g)
Pinch sugar
⅔ cup warm water (160ml)
250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting (1⅔ cups/9oz)
Salt flakes, to taste
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing (80ml)
2 tablespoons pitted Ligurian olives (30g/1oz)

Method

Combine yeast, sugar and half the warm water (⅓ cup/80ml) in a small bowl and set aside for 10–15 minutes, until it starts to froth.
Place flour and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
Add yeast mixture, remaining water and half of the oil (2 tablespoons/40ml) and mix on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl until everything is combined.
Mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
Shape into a ball, coat in oil and place in a clean bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm spot for at least 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Generously grease the base and sides of a baking dish about 26 x 20cm (10″ x 8″) or 25cm (10″) diameter.
Roll or stretch out the dough to roughly the size of the dish.
Put it in the dish and stretch it out to cover the base evenly.
Dimple the top with your fingertips, cover and set aside for another 30 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
Drizzle remaining oil over the dough and brush it across the surface evenly; sprinkle generously with salt and scatter the olives over the top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until dark golden.
Cut olive focaccia into pieces and serve warm.