Impossible to resist the temptation, passing through Bari, to stop at a bakery to buy – and then bite into – a piece of focaccia Barese. Tall, soft, tasty, seasoned with fresh tomatoes, it is the comfort food par excellence of the people of Bari and always appears in tourists’ lists of “things to eat in Puglia”.

However, if you don’t plan to pass through Bari and Puglia is not one of your next destinations, you shouldn’t give up: making Bari focaccia at home as tradition dictates is quite simple, with our recipe.

How is focaccia from Bari born?

The focaccia from Bari – despite its name – actually has its origins in Altamura, where it was probably born from the need to exploit the strong initial heat of the wood-fired oven, before it reached the ideal temperature for baking bread. In fact, before putting the loaves of Altamura bread in the oven, a piece of raw dough was spread out on a baking tray, left to rest for a while, then seasoned and cooked.

How is focaccia from Bari made?

In its most typical form, focaccia dough is prepared by stirring semolina regrind, potatoes boil, salt, yeast and water to obtain a rather elastic consistency, soft but not sticky. This dough is left to rise, spread out in a round pan greased with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, then it is left to rise again, seasoned and finally cooked, preferably in a wood-fired oven. Here is the traditional recipe.