Focaccia Pugliese

🕒 Prep time: 15 minutes🥘Cooking time: 5 Hours🍽️ Servings: 8 to 10

Ingredients

For Dough:

• 356 grams (1 ½ cups) warm water
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• Pinch of granulated sugar
• 300 grams (2 ¼ cups) tipo “0 0” flour
• 133 grams ( 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) semolina flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 cup riced potato ( see Tip, opposite)
• 56 grams ( 4 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil

For Topping:

• 1 cup large cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup pitted black olives
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
• ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer ( or a large mixing bowl), combine the water, yeast and sugar. Mix until frothy. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to bloom (when ready, you should see little gas bubbles appear).
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the “0 0” and semolina flours and the salt.
• Gradually add the flour mixture to the bloomed yeast, stirring with a rubber spatula to incorporate.
• Add the riced potato and 14 grams (1 tablespoon) of olive oil. Snap the dough hook onto the stand mixer and knead on medium speed for 5 minutes.(Or knead by hand on a flour- dusted surface for 8 to 10 minutes.) The dough will be very sticky.
• Wipe down the bowl from the flour mixture and coat the entire bowl with 14 grams ( 1 tablespoon) of the olive oil .
• Add the dough and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rise in the warmest part of your kitchen until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
• Punch the dough down and flip over several times to coat in oil.
• Cover with the towel and allow to rise for 1 hour.