Focaccia with olives and mozzarella (Ligurian Focaccia)

Today we are going to prepare a very traditional focaccia because, apart from a dough in the purest Italian style, we will add mozzarella and give it a touch of the Ligurian area thanks to the seductive aroma of taggiaca olives . And we will also add romesco, the spices can never be missing.

Taggiaca (or taggiasche) olives owe their name to the town of Taggia, near Sanremo. This area is traditionally cultivated with expanses of olive trees, so typical of Pontente Ligure (in the province of Imperia), which were originally brought by Benedectine 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 certainly for its flavor!

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

Today, we will enjoy all that flavor thanks to this aromatic focaccia dressed with onion and mozzarella cheese . This recipe is an ideal accompaniment to any meal, or a dinner that, just accompanied by a good wine, you will enjoy until saying enough.

Ingredients

For the focaccia dough

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

To season the Ligurian focaccia

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

FusionTec Cast Iron

Preparation of the focaccia

We prepare the dough:

1. Lightly heat the 230 ml of water in a glass in the microwave, a few seconds so that it reaches some temperature but is not too hot. Pour the yeast and mix, to start activating it.
2. In a bowl, introduce the flour, salt and sugar. Add the 75 ml of olive oil and the water with the yeast.
3. Mix with the mixer until you get a uniform dough, with the dough hook. When everything is integrated, the best thing for a correct and easy kneading is that you alternate 3 minutes of kneading and about 10-12 minutes of rest. Proceed several times like this, whatever the dough requires, until you get a smooth and soft dough. Go covering it with a cloth so it doesn't dry out.
4. When the dough looks smooth and worked, cover it with a cloth and let it rise for 2 hours (in a warm, draught-free environment), until it doubles in volume.
5. Once the dough has doubled in volume, release the gas with your knuckles, and transfer it to a rectangular tray previously brushed with oil (we used 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 that it rises and relaxes again.

Prepare the seasoning and finish the foaccacia:

1. Peel the onion and cut it into thin rings. Separate the rosemary leaves from the stems and finely grate the scamorza or mozzarella.
2. Make small marks (small indentations) in the dough with your index finger, scattered throughout the dough, and brush the entire surface with oil.
3. Top the dough with the onion rings, rosemary, olives and scamorza (mozzarella). Let stand another 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven (220°C with top and bottom heat, 200°C with ventilation).
5. Optional: dissolve the coarse salt in 150 ml of water and brush the focaccia with the brine obtained.
6. Add the rest of the olives, scattered throughout the focaccia.
7. Bake the focaccia in the lowest position of the oven for 10–15 minutes (as the tray is iron, you will see that it bakes very quickly). When you see it golden, take it out of 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 is still delicious).

Grades:

• After rising, you can stretch the dough and fill it in a baking paper. Doing it like this, you can put the empty tray in the oven when you turn it on to preheat, and you can transfer the dough to the tray very easily just by pulling the paper towards the tray (if you do it like this, since the tray is hot, the baking is very fast) .
• The Fusiontec iron tray is perfect for roasting meat and fish... but certainly also for this type of dough, as well as pizzas, shortcrust pastries and breads. The iron gets very hot and grills perfectly, in a very traditional way.
• You can add a dash of pizza oil if you want on top, it gives it an ideal spicy touch.
• If you do not have taggiasca type olives, apply the ones you like, whether they are black or green.
• If you haven't brushed with the salt and water brine, especially apply salt flakes at the end of baking - that salty touch is essential in focaccias!