The minute I saw Focaccia Pugliese it was love at first sight. The first thing that caught my eye was the name -- Pugliese, my maiden name. Not only did the name captivate me but also the delicious looking round, fluffy focaccia topped with cherry tomatoes and kalamata olive.
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Tracing roots back to Puglia
Until recently I never associated the surname Pugliese with the southeastern area of Puglia or Apulia. My papà always proudly stated that his ancestors came from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.
My papà and mamma's parents were contadini {farmers} who loved their piece of land. Ingrained was regional pride. It was only after my papà died that I wondered about the origin of our last name and how it tied to the Puglia region.
I surmised that distant ancestors must have migrated north to find a better life. I bet I would have gotten one huge Italian discussion (lively argument with hand gestures) with my papà on the validity of my observation.
Italian Official Language
During the 20th century, southern Italy was dirt poor and in many parts it still is. The people were considered unrefined, uneducated and unambitious. They spoke with a dialect that many Italians to the north couldn't understand.
I'm not saying that these perceptions are right, this is just what the people at that time thought. It hasn't been that long ago that Italy chose what the official dialect of Italy would be.
Each region still speaks its dialect, and my dialect is Triestine, called after Trieste.
Recently, Italy chose what the official dialect of Italy would be; the basis is the Tuscan dialect.
Puglian Cuisine - simple and basic
Puglia has come a long way since WW II. The area is beautiful and more tourists are discovering this. Their food is simple but delicious, like this bread.
If we custom ordered a focaccia recipe that would contain the ingredients that are staples in our home, it would be Focaccia Pugliese. We have plenty of cherry tomatoes hanging from the plant on our patio.
We are never without jars of kalamata olives in our pantry plus we have multiple sacks of "00" flour, exactly what the recipe requires.
Focaccia Pugliese originates in Puglia
I was curious about the history of the bread. What do I do when I'm nosey, and I want to find something out? I contact Mr. Google.
He was very informative as usual. I discovered that Focaccia Pugliese has another name -- Ruoto di Focaccia Barese (Focaccia Wheel from Bari).
This bread is a baked specialty from this region and it's a popular street food.
There are a few variations of this focaccia -- each Puglian family adding their special touch to the recipe.
The secret to Focaccia Pugliese's dough is boiled potatoes. It gives the bread a soft, springy texture plus an amazing aroma as it's baking.
The bread dough is not difficult to work with, it stretches easily to fit our round pan. If you don't have "00" flour just substitute all-purpose flour.
Be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter, we have lots more bread recipes we'll be posting. Here is another traditional bread with Pugliese in the name.
Here are some more Italian breads you'll enjoy
Herb Parmesan Bread - Pizza Bread
Herb Cheese Swirl Pane Italiano
There is nothing better than delicious homemade!!
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
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This is the Double 00 Flour and semolina flour that we use to make bread, pizza, and pasta. We love this flour because it makes everything taste better -- truly! Since we can't find it locally, we look around and see where we can order it without spending an arm and a leg for shipping. If you live in an area where they have Italian markets, I'm green with envy!! We may live around a large city but there are no Italian Markets around.
What's new? check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
Focaccia Pugliese A Traditional Italian Street Food
This is a fairly quick flatbread to make. You don't need a starter and you can get creative with your toppings. We had these purple grape tomatoes growing in pots on our patio. They were delicious and we made lots of great dishes with them. The potatoes in the dough makes the bread moist and it keeps well. Give it a try - you'll be happy you did.
Another Italian flatbread that we enjoy making is our Rosemary Focaccia Recipe. You don't need anything special but some fresh rosemary.
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📖 Recipe
Focaccia Pugliese
Ingredients
- 2 cups 00-type flour {substitute all-purpose if you don't have the Italian flour} 250 grams
- 2 large potatoes peeled and quartered, boil until fork tender, pour out water, set the potato quarters aside and let cool.
- 1 ½ Tablespoons yeast ½ oz.
- 1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- 1 cup lukewarm water 236 ⅔ grams
- 10 cherry tomatoes halved
- 10 kalamata olives halves
- 1 Tablespoon Tuscan Seasoning or oregano
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place flour in large mixing bowl and whisk in dry instant yeast. Using a ricer, add the potatoes.
- Add the lukewarm water and small pinch of salt to the flour and begin kneading to obtain a sticky, firm ball.
- Place the dough in a bowl sprayed with vegetable oil. Wrap the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until double in a warm, dry place. About 1 hour -- depending on the warmth of your kitchen it may take longer.
- Preheat oven to 430 F.
- Use the olive oil to generously grease a large baking pan ( we used a 12-inch pan) don't use any smaller or the dough will creep over the edge. Stretch the dough to evenly fill the pan.
- Press the halved tomatoes in the dough, cut side down, add the olives, a generous sprinkling of Tuscan or Oregano seasoning and sea salt.
- Drizzle the surface with more olive oil and bake in the hot oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the surface appears evenly browned and tomatoes are caramelized.
- Lightly dust with Parmesan cheese when it is finished baking. Remove from baking sheet and let cool on a cooling rack.
Nutrition
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