Focaccia

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Photo of focaccia bread with rosemary garnish.

Focaccia (IPA pronunciation: [fo'kaʧːa]) is a flat bread topped with spices and other products, which is related to modern pizza. The basic recipe is thought by some to have originated with the Etruscans or ancient Greeks, but nowadays it is particularly known as a delicacy of the Ligurian cuisine. The local specialty "focaccia col formaggio" (focaccia with cheese) is made in Recco, near Genoa.

Focaccia is quite popular in Italy and is usually seasoned with olive oil and herbs, topped with cheese and meat or flavored with a number of vegetables. Focaccia doughs are similar in style and texture to pizza doughs consisting of high-gluten flour, oil, water, sugar, salt and yeast.

Focaccia is used extensively as a sandwich bread outside of Italy.

It is typically rolled out or pressed by hand into a thick layer of dough and then baked in a stone-bottom or hearth oven. Bakers often puncture the bread with a knife to relieve bubbling on the surface of the bread. Also common is the practice of dotting the bread. This creates multiple wells in the bread by using a finger or the handle of a utensil to poke the unbaked dough. As a way to preserve moisture in the bread, olive oil is then spread over the dough, by hand or with a brush prior to rising and baking.

Focaccia can be used as a side to many meals, as a base for pizza or as sandwich bread.