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The Bakery 100 · make it at home

Focaccia genovese (and Roman pizza bianca)

Overnight, 20 min hands-on · 1 sheet pan, 8 to 12 pieces

Genoa's focaccia: thin, dimpled, crisp underneath, soft on top, glossy with olive oil and salty brine.

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The real one

You need

• 500 g bread flour (4 cups)
• 400 ml cool water (1 2/3 cups)
• 4 g instant yeast (1 1/4 tsp)
• 12 g fine salt (2 tsp)
• 1 tsp honey or malt
• 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp), divided
• Brine: 60 ml water (1/4 cup), 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt
• Flaky salt

How to make it

1. Mix (10 min): Stir flour, water, yeast and honey into a shaggy wet dough. Rest 15 minutes, then add the salt and 2 tbsp oil and squeeze them through until the dough is smooth and sticky.
2. Folds and cold rise (30 min, then overnight): Over 30 minutes, give the dough three sets of folds in the bowl with a wet hand. Cover and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.
3. Pan (5 min plus 2 hr): Pour 4 tbsp oil into a 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in) sheet pan. Tip in the dough, turn it to coat, and gently stretch toward the corners. When it springs back, wait 20 minutes and stretch again. Let it rise at room temperature until puffy, about 2 hours.
4. Dimple and brine (5 min): Heat the oven to 240C (465F), rack low. Oil your fingertips and press deep dimples all over, right to the bottom. Whisk the brine and pour it over so it pools in the holes. Rest 20 minutes.
5. Bake (18 to 20 min): Scatter flaky salt and bake 18 to 20 minutes until golden on top and crisp underneath. Brush with the last of the oil. Cool on a rack so the bottom stays crisp.

Tips

• The brine is the Genoese secret: it keeps the top soft and pale gold in the dimples.
• For Roman pizza bianca, stretch the same dough thinner on an oiled tray, dimple, oil, salt, and bake hotter (260C) for 12 to 14 minutes. For rossa, spread with crushed tomato and oregano.

Chef Amazing's own home version of focaccia, in our words; not any bakery's recipe.