Make a batch of authentic focaccia Pugliese from the region of Puglia in Italy. This crispy yet light focaccia bread is topped with tomatoes.

Want To Save This Article?
Enter your email below and we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll receive new weekly recipe inspiration.
After I learned how to bake focaccia bread while going to culinary school in Italy, it has become one of my all time favorite types of bread. It has a crunchy outer exterior, with a light and fluffy interior.
While various regions in Italy make their focaccia with different types of dough and toppings, today I'm showing you how to make a focaccia from the region of Puglia.
Classically, focaccia Pugliese is made with a topping of tomatoes. These tomatoes can be fresh from your garden in the summer or canned, so you can still make this delicious bread in the winter.
Jump to:
What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- A step by step guide to making focaccia bread dough.
- How to make focaccia Pugliese in the summer or winter.
- The best way to store focaccia in the freezer, so it can last for a long time.
If you enjoy learning how to bake, don't forget to grab my free ebook with secrets to bake better bread:
Ingredients You Need
Here are the ingredients you need make an Italian tomato focaccia Pugliese.
Bread flour: This is one of the most important ingredients you'll need to make a good batch of focaccia. Bread flour is higher in protein content, which gives the focaccia that classic chewy taste. Don't be tempted to use all purpose flour. The recipe won't turn out the same.
Instant dry yeast: Yeast allows the dough to properly rise. Before baking, check that your yeast has not expired.
Water: Focaccia is a high-hydration dough, so there is a decent amount of water in this recipe. Be sure to add the water slowly, or it can overwhelm the flour. The water should be around room temperatur; otherwise, it can kill the yeast if it's too hot (around 140ยฐF or 60ยฐC).
Granulated sugar: Sugar is an ingredient in bread that helps to give it a golden brown color once it's baked. It doesn't sweeten the bread. Rather, it helps to caramelize the crust.
Extra virgin olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is a staple in Italian cooking. Be sure to use extra virgin olive oil (not just olive oil) for the best possible flavor in your focaccia. If you're interested in learning more, check out my guide to Italian olive oil. This ingredient will be used in both the dough and the topping.
Fine sea salt: Salt helps to enhance the flavor of the focaccia as well as tighten the gluten net, so the dough can have the correct texture. I like fine sea salt, so it evenly distributes throughout the dough.
Canned whole peeled tomatoes: This is an important ingredient when making focaccia from Puglia. I like to use canned tomatoes when baking this bread in the winter. However, if you have access to fresh, summer tomatoes, use those instead. You can simply slice the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, and place them on top of the bread.
Maldon sea salt flakes: You'll also need some flakey salt to sprinkle on top of your focaccia. I would not suggest using iodized table salt for this step. You'll need either flaky sea salt or Morton kosher salt.
How To Make This Recipe
Here's a step by step guide to making a traditional focaccia Pugliese bread.
1. Start by mixing bread flour and instant dry yeast in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. With the mixer running on medium low speed, slowly add in the water.
Since there is a high percentage of water in the recipe, you need to add it slowly, and allow the flour to completely absorb the water before adding the next batch.
Next mix in the granulated sugar.
2. Slowly, begin pouring the extra virgin olive oil into the dough with the mixer on medium low speed. The flour needs to absorb the oil, similar to the water, before adding in the next batch. The olive oil takes a while to absorb, so have some patience.
If the mixer is having trouble mixing in the oil, use a silicone spatula to flip the dough over periodically to help the dough hook catch and knead in the oil. Once youโve added in the last batch of olive oil, add fine sea salt and mix thoroughly, until all the oil has absorbed.
3. Bump the mixer speed up to high, and mix until you hear a popping sound and the dough wraps around the dough hook, about 1 - 2 minutes. The dough will be smooth but sticky.
4. Now, it's time for the bulk fermentation stage where the dough rises. Roll the dough into a tight ball, then place in an oiled bowl roughly three times the size of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until tripled in size.
The amount of time it takes for the dough to rise will vary. If you live in a cold environment, the dough will rise slower.
5. Now it's time to stretch and shape the focaccia Pugliese. First, oil the bottom and sides of a 12 x 18 inch (30 x 45 cm) sheet pan with extra virgin olive oil. Using gravity, allow the dough to naturally stretch until it reaches the edge of the sheet pan. If you notice the dough pulling back to center, allow it to rest in the sheet pan for an additional 10 minutes, then continue stretching.
6. To make the iconic dimpled focaccia top, use your fingertips to make indentations on top of the focaccia dough.
7. Crush whole peeled tomatoes in your hands over the focaccia dough. Allow the juice and tomatoes to spread across the dough. If there is any leftover tomato juice, pour it over the focaccia dough.
Evenly, pour the olive oil on top of the dimpled focaccia, then sprinkle on Maldon sea salt flakes.
8. Finally, it's time to proof (the last rise before baking the focaccia) the bread. Cover sheet pan with plastic wrap, and allow to proof in a warm (75ยฐF - 80ยฐF or 24ยฐC -27ยฐC), draft-free place until tripled in size, about 60 minutes.
Once proofed, bake for 25 - 30 minutes in a preheated 430ยฐF (220ยฐC) oven, until it's golden brown and crispy on the top. Place the focaccia on a cooling rack, and cover with a tea towel. This helps the bread to stay soft.
Allow the focaccia to cool to room temperature before removing it from the pan and slicing it into individual pieces.
Expert Tips
- If you're going to eat the focaccia right away, it can be stored in an airtight bag at room temperature for about 3 days. Then, follow the serving instructions listed on the recipe card below to reheat focaccia.
- Want to keep your focaccia fresh for a longer time? Store the focaccia in the freezer. Don't worry, it doesn't change the flavor or texture of the bread. To do this, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sliced focaccia on the baking sheet and freeze, just until firm. Place the frozen bread in an airtight container in the freezer until you're ready to serve. Then, follow the serving instructions listed on the recipe card below for the frozen bread.
- Be sure to use a light colored sheet pan, so the dough bakes evenly. Dark colored sheet pans can cause uneven baking since these types of pans tend to absorb more heat from the oven.
Recipe FAQs
No. Because this is a high hydration dough (with a lot of water and extra virgin olive oil), you'll need a stand mixer to fully incorporate it.
The dough requires several hours to rise. If you live in a cold environment, the rising time can take even longer.
If you've waited 5 - 8 hours for the dough to rise, and it still hasn't doubled in size, your yeast is likely dead. I would suggest purchasing new yeast and re-making the recipe.
Focaccia is an exceptionally light and airy bread. When baking, handle the dough with care to preserve its airiness.
Be particularly cautious during the proofing stage, the period before the bread enters the oven. Avoid re-indenting the bread with your fingers, as this would expel all the air from the dough, resulting in a denser texture.
Also, ensure that your yeast hasn't expired. The use of expired yeast can contribute to dense focaccia becuase it has not properly risen.
Focaccia from Puglia is known for the tomato topping.
Italian Tomato Focaccia Pugliese
Equipment
- metal half sheet panย (12 x 18 x 1 inch)
- tea towel
Ingredients
Focaccia Dough
- 6 ยผ cups bread flour
- 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 2 cups warm water (105ยฐF - 115ยฐF or 40ยฐC - 46ยฐC)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ยฝ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons fine sea salt
Focaccia Topping
- 2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes
- ยผ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for greasing the sheet pan
- 2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt flakes
Instructions
For Focaccia Dough
- Mix bread flour and instant dry yeast in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment on medium low speed. With the mixer running, slowly add water in three batches. Allow the flour to completely absorb the water before adding the next batch.
- Combine sugar; mix thoroughly.
- Slowly, pour extra virgin olive oil in the center of the dough in four batches. Mix on medium low speed, and allow the flour to absorb the oil before adding the next batch. The extra virgin olive oil takes a while to incorporate. Use a silicone spatula to flip the dough over periodically to help the dough hook catch and knead in the oil. Once youโve added in your last batch of olive oil, add fine sea salt, and mix thoroughly until all the oil has absorbed.
- Bump the mixer speed up to high, and mix until you hear a popping sound and the dough wraps around the dough hook, about 1 - 2 minutes. The dough will be smooth but very sticky.
- Roll the dough into a tight ball, then place in an oiled bowl roughly three times the size of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until tripled in size. Rise time will vary depending on the temperature of your environment.
For Focaccia Topping
- Generously, oil the bottom and sides of a 12 x 18 inch (30 x 45 cm) sheet pan with extra virgin olive oil. Use gravity to allow the dough to naturally stretch until it reaches the edge of the sheet pan. If you notice the dough pulling back to center, allow it to rest in the sheet pan for an additional 10 minutes, then continue stretching.
- Use your fingertips to make indentations on top of the focaccia dough. Crush whole peeled tomatoes in your hands over the focaccia dough. Allow the juice and tomatoes to spread across the dough. If there is any leftover tomato juice, pour it over the focaccia dough. Evenly, pour the olive oil on top of the dimpled focaccia. Sprinkle Maldon sea salt flakes on top.
- Cover sheet pan with plastic wrap, and allow to proof in a warm (75ยฐF - 80ยฐF or 24ยฐC - 27ยฐC), draft-free place until tripled in size, about 60 minutes.
- Place oven rack in an upper middle slot. Heat oven to 430ยฐF (220ยฐC).
- Carefully, remove plastic wrap from sheet pan without knocking any air out of the bread dough. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown and crispy on the top. Place focaccia on a cooling rack, and cover with a tea towel. Allow focaccia to cool to room temperature before removing from the pan and slicing into individual pieces.
- To serve, heat oven to 350ยฐF (180ยฐC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place focaccia slices on top. Bake for 18 -20 ย minutes until warmed through and crunchy on the outside.
Leave a Reply