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Authentic Focaccia di Recco col formaggio Recipe
Recco, Italy
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We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
Focaccia di Recco col formaggio comes from the Liguria region in Italy, specifically from the municipalities of Recco, Sori, Camogli, and Avegno in Genoa. It is a foccacia made with a dough made from type 00 soft wheat flour or Manitoba flour, extra virgin olive oil, water, and salt, and it has no leavening. The dough is stretched into two ultra-thin sheets that envelope a filling of fresh, pasteurized cow's milk cheese, either crescenza or stracchino. Focaccia di Recco col formaggio can be circular, square, or rectangular, and does not exceed one centimeter in height.
Cooking tips
-
flour
Manitoba flour, a strong and elastic flour, is essential if you want to get the thinnest possible sheets of dough. It allows you to stretch the dough very thinly without it tearing. -
cheese
In the past, prescinsêua was typically used, but given that it's not so mass-produced, it's been replaced with crescenza and stracchino cheese. The cheese is applied onto a sheet of dough in small dabs. If you cannot find any of the said kinds of cheese, go for any fresh, soft cheese. -
topping
The assembled focaccia should be brushed with olive oil or a mixture of olive oil, water, and salt so you don't get a dry, brittle focaccia once baked.
Focaccia di Recco col formaggio
PREP 45min
COOK 30min
RESTING 1h 30min
READY IN 2h 45min
The following is the authentic recipe for focaccia di Recco col formaggio. Manitoba flour is the key to the thinnest, most supple sheets of dough; there is no substitute. Crescenza cheese is used for the filling. The recipe is courtesy of Ezio Rocchi, a skilled artisan baker specializing in Genoese focaccia and other baked goods. He is an educator and owner of the much-acclaimed Spiga D'Oro bakery in Sestri Levante near Genoa.
Ingredients
800g Manitoba flour (W 360-380)
16g (3 tsp) table salt
420g (15 oz) room-temperature water
40g (2 tbsp + 1 tsp) extra virgin olive oil
800g (1 3/4 lbs) crescenza
20g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Step 1/11
Mix flour, room-temperature water, salt, and olive oil in a planetary mixer with a dough hook. Mix at low speed until smooth, about 4-5 minutes, then increase to a medium speed for another 4-5 minutes.
Step 2/11
Transfer the dough to a floured surface, give it a light dusting, and fold the edges inwards. Cover and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Step 3/11
Divide the dough into four parts (two 300g/10.5 oz and two 350g/12.3 oz) for the base and top of the focaccias.
Step 4/11
Shape the dough into spheres, seal the bases, and place them on a tray, cover, and put in the fridge for 1 hour. After resting, leave them at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Step 5/11
Roll out one larger piece on a floured surface to a 1mm thick rectangle, larger than your 30x40 cm (12 x 16") pan.
Step 6/11
Brush the pan with olive oil, then lay the dough in, letting the edges hang over.
Step 7/11
Dot bite-sized pieces of crescenza cheese, 400g (14 oz) in total, across the dough, leaving space between them, and drizzle with oil.
Step 8/11
Roll out the smaller dough piece even thinner for the top layer. Carefully place it over the cheese, allowing it to overflow the pan, then seal the edges.
Step 9/11
Make small holes in the top dough layer and brush with a brine of water, salt, and oil. Trim excess dough with a rolling pin, pressing the edges to seal.
Step 10/11
Bake in a preheated oven at 250°C (480°F) for 7-8 minutes, adjusting for oven variations.
Step 11/11
Prepare and bake the second focaccia similarly, serving both cut into pieces.
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