Olive and Mozzarella Focaccia (Ligurian Focaccia)

Today we are going to make a very traditional focaccia because, apart from dough in the purest Italian style, we will add mozzarella and we add a touch of the Liguria region thanks to seductive aroma of the taggiaca olives. And we'll also add romesco; you can never go without spices.

Taggiasca olives (or taggiasche) are named after the town of Taggia, near Sanremo. That area is traditionally cultivated with expanses of olive trees, so typical of the Pontente Ligurian (in the province of Imperia), which were originally brought by the Benedictine monks. Thus, The Taggiaca olive owes its name to the town of Taggia, near Sanremo, and is characterized by its chemical and organoleptic refinement... And undoubtedly by its flavor!

To help you imagine what those olives taste like, you should know that it is from them that is produced the typical oil Italian light and fruity, with low acidity and a sweet, unique flavor.

Today, we'll enjoy all that flavor thanks to this aromatic focaccia topped with onion and mozzarella cheese. This recipe is an ideal side for any meal, or a dinner that, just by pairing it with a good wine, you'll enjoy to no end.

Ingredients

For the focaccia dough

• 400 g bread flour (you can also use 250 g strong flour + 150 g regular wheat flour)
• 1 packet of baker's yeast (6 g), or 18 g of fresh yeast
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 75 ml of olive oil for the dough + 50 ml for brushing
• 230 ml water (at room temperature)

To season Ligurian focaccia

• 1 red onion
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 150 g of cheese Scamorza or mozzarella
• 100 g of Taggiasca olives in oil (pitted)
• 1 tsp coarse salt (+150 ml water to dissolve)

FusionTec iron tray

Focaccia preparation

Prepare the dough:

1. Slightly warm the 230 ml of water in a glass in the microwave, just a few seconds so it gets some warmth but isn't very hot. Pour in the yeast and mix to start activating it.
2. In a bowl, add the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the 75 ml of olive oil and the water with the yeast.
3. Mix with the stand mixer using the dough hook until you get a uniform dough. Once everything is combined, for proper and easy kneading, it’s best to alternate 3 minutes of kneading and about 10-12 minutes of resting. Repeat this as many times as the dough requires until you get a smooth, soft dough. Keep it covered with a cloth so it doesn’t dry out.
4. When the dough looks smooth and well-kneaded, cover with a cloth and let it rise for 2 hours (in a warm, draft-free environment), until doubled in volume.
5. Once the dough has doubled in size, release the gas with your knuckles, and transfer it to a rectangular pan previously brushed with oil (we use the WMF FusionTec 3-in-1 tray, you can use another ceramic, like Laura Ashley's). Let it rest under a cloth for 20 more minutes, so it rises and relaxes again.

We prepare the seasoning and finish the focaccia:

1. Peel the onion and slice it into thin rings. Separate the rosemary leaves from the stems and finely grate the scamorza or the mozzarella.
2. Make small marks (small indentations) in the dough with your index finger, scattered all over the dough, and brush the entire surface with oil.
3. C over the dough with the onion rings, rosemary, olives, and scamorza (mozzarella). Let it rest for another 15 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven (to 220 °C with top and bottom heat, to 200 °C with fan).
5. Optional: dissolve the coarse salt in 150 ml of water and brush the focaccia with the resulting brine.
6. Add the rest of the olives, scattered all over the focaccia.
7. Bake the focaccia on the lowest rack of the oven for 10–15 minutes (since it’s an iron pan, you’ll see it bakes very quickly). When it’s golden, remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
8. To finish, cut it into pieces and serve it hot (although at room temperature, after a few hours, it’s still delicious).

Notes:

• After proofing, you can roll out the dough and place it on parchment paper. Doing it this way, you can put the empty baking sheet in the oven when you turn it on to preheat, and you’ll be able to transfer the dough to the sheet very easily by simply pulling the paper onto it (if you do it this way, because the sheet is hot, it bakes very quickly).
• The Fusiontec iron tray is perfect for roasting meat and fish... but it’s undoubtedly also great for this type of dough, as well as for pizzas, shortcrust pastry, and bread. The iron gets very hot and roasts perfectly, in the most traditional way.
• You can drizzle a little pizza oil on top if you like; it adds the perfect spicy kick.
• If you don't have olives of the type Taggiasca—use the ones you like, whether black or green.
• If you haven’t brushed on the salt-and-water brine, be sure to finish with flaky salt after baking—that salty touch is a must for focaccia!