🇮🇹 Italian · Bread
🍕 Focaccia Barese
Focaccia Barese
A soft, potato-enriched focaccia from Bari, its dimpled surface studded with halved cherry tomatoes and olives, brushed with olive oil and baked until the edges turn golden and crisp.
The addition of mashed potato to the dough is what sets Focaccia Barese apart from other regional focacce, giving it an especially soft, moist crumb beneath its crisp, olive-oil-glossed crust.
Ingredients
Equipment: Mixing bowl, Round baking pan, about 30cm
- 300 g (2¼ cups) bread flour
- 150 g (1 cup) boiled potato, mashed and cooled
- 7 g (2¼ tsp) active dry yeast
- 200 ml (¾ cup plus 1 tbsp) warm water
- 10 g (1¾ tsp) salt
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 250 g (9 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 80 g (½ cup) olives, pitted
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Coarse sea salt, for finishing
Method
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
- Combine the flour, mashed potato, and salt, then add the yeast mixture and olive oil, mixing into a soft, sticky dough.
- Knead briefly, then let rise, covered, in a warm place for about 1 hour until doubled.
- Generously oil a round baking pan and press the dough into it, stretching to fill the pan.
- Let rise again for 30–45 minutes.
- Press the cherry tomatoes and olives into the dough at intervals, cut-side up for the tomatoes.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil, scatter with oregano and coarse salt.
- Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 20–25 minutes until deeply golden.
- Let cool slightly in the pan before slicing and serving.
Chef Tips
- The potato is what makes this focaccia so distinctly soft — don't skip it or substitute with more flour.
- Be generous with the olive oil both mixed into the dough and drizzled on top, which is key to the characteristic crisp, glossy crust.
- Pressing the toppings in firmly helps them stay put rather than sliding off during baking.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using cold or unmashed potato, which won't incorporate smoothly into the dough.
- Skimping on olive oil, missing the rich, glossy crust that defines this style.
- Underproofing the dough, resulting in a denser rather than airy, soft crumb.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A naturally vegan bread; tomatoes provide vitamin C and lycopene.
Cultural Note
Focaccia Barese is a defining specialty of Bari and the surrounding Puglian coast, commonly eaten as a mid-morning or afternoon snack throughout the region.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Best eaten the day it's made; keeps at room temperature, wrapped, for 1 day.
Reheating: Warm briefly in the oven to refresh the crust.
Serve with: A glass of wine, As part of an antipasto spread