Focaccia Genovese Recipe: Ligurian Olive Oil Flatbread

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Focaccia Genovese is the soft, golden, olive-oil-rich flatbread of Liguria. This Focaccia Genovese recipe gives you a tall, airy crumb, a crisp base and the salty dimples that Genoa is known for. You need six ingredients, one tin and about four hours, most of it waiting.

What Is Focaccia Genovese?

Focaccia Genovese, called fugassa in the Ligurian dialect, comes from Genoa and the coast around it. It is a thick, soft flatbread baked in a shallow tin. Bakers press their fingers into the dough to make deep dimples. They then pour a mix of olive oil and salted water over the top. The oil pools in the dimples and fries the crust. The salted water keeps the crumb moist.

Locals do not treat it as a side dish. Genoese people eat it at breakfast, often torn into pieces and dipped in a milky coffee. They also eat it as a mid-morning snack and sometimes as a light lunch. Bakeries across Genoa sell it by the slab, still warm, wrapped in paper.

Do not confuse it with focaccia di Recco. That version, from a town on the same coast, is a thin, crisp bread filled with soft cheese. Focaccia Genovese has no filling. The flavour comes from good oil, good salt and a long, slow rise.

Focaccia Genovese Recipe: Ingredients

This recipe fills a metal tin of about 30 x 40 cm and makes 8 to 10 large squares.

For the dough

• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 350 ml lukewarm water (about 70% hydration)
• 10 g fine sea salt
• 7 g fast-action dried yeast
• 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl

For the tin and topping

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for the tin
• 50 ml extra virgin olive oil for the topping
• 50 ml lukewarm water for the brine
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt for the brine
• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
• Fresh rosemary (optional)

Use the best Ligurian or other mild extra virgin olive oil you can find. The oil is the main flavour. Our guide to the Italian olive harvest and olio nuovo explains what to look for on the label.

How to Make Focaccia Genovese: Step by Step

Step 1: Mix the dough

Stir the yeast and honey into the lukewarm water. Leave it for five minutes until it looks foamy. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the yeast water and the three tablespoons of oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. The dough will look wet and sticky. That is correct.

Step 2: Fold, do not knead

Wet your hand and pull one edge of the dough up and over to the centre. Turn the bowl and repeat eight or ten times. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Rest the dough for 30 minutes. Repeat the folding twice more, with 30 minutes between each round. These folds build strength without hard kneading.

Step 3: Let it rise

Cover the bowl and leave the dough at room temperature for about one hour. It should grow by about half. For a better flavour, put the covered bowl in the fridge overnight and bring it back to room temperature the next morning. Many home bakers say the slow rise gives a more complex taste and a lighter crumb.

Step 4: Shape in the tin

Pour four tablespoons of oil into the tin and spread it over the base and sides. Tip the dough into the tin. Turn it once so both sides pick up oil. Stretch the dough gently towards the corners. If it springs back, wait 10 minutes and try again. Cover the tin and let the dough rest for 45 to 60 minutes, until puffy.

Step 5: Dimple and add the brine

Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Mix the 50 ml of oil, 50 ml of water and one teaspoon of salt in a small jug. Whisk until cloudy. Press your fingertips straight down through the dough to the base of the tin. Make deep dimples all over the surface. Pour the brine over the top and let it fill the dimples. Add flaky salt and a few rosemary needles if you like.

Step 6: Bake

Bake on the middle shelf for 20 to 25 minutes. The top should turn deep golden and the edges should look crisp. Slide the focaccia out of the tin onto a rack. Leave it for 10 minutes before you cut it. The base stays crisp if air can reach it.

Tips for the Best Ligurian Crumb

• Use a wet dough. A sticky dough makes big air pockets. Add flour only to your hands, not to the dough.
• Do not skimp on oil. The oil in the tin gives the base its crunch. The oil in the brine gives the top its shine.
• Dimple firmly. Shallow dimples disappear in the oven. Press all the way down.
• Check your yeast. If the yeast water does not foam, start again with fresh yeast.
• Bake in a metal tin. Metal conducts heat better than glass or ceramic and browns the base.

Regional Variations in Liguria

Liguria has several focaccia styles, and you can find most of them on a trip along the coast. Bakers in Genoa often add chopped onion to the top for focaccia con le cipolle. Others press olives or sage into the dough. Some bakeries make a sweeter version with sultanas, usually eaten at festivals.

You can eat a slab of focaccia on almost any harbour front. The Ligurian coast: Vernazza, Riomaggiore and Camogli shows the villages where bakeries open early. Order a piece with a coffee and eat it on the quay, as the locals do.

How to Serve and Store Focaccia

Serve focaccia warm, the same day, with no topping at all. It also works well as a base for sandwiches with prosciutto and soft cheese. In Italy, it often comes alongside soup. Try a thick slice with pasta e fagioli for a cosy supper.

Wrap leftovers in a clean cloth and keep them at room temperature for up to two days. To refresh a slice, warm it in a hot oven for five minutes. You can also freeze squares in a bag for up to a month. Reheat them straight from the freezer.

If you want more dishes like this one, read our Italian street food guide. You can also start with the Italy trip planning hub to turn the recipe into a real trip.

Frequently Asked Questions About Focaccia Genovese

What is focaccia Genovese made of?

Focaccia Genovese uses flour, water, yeast, salt and a lot of extra virgin olive oil. Bakers also brush or pour on a salty water and oil mix before baking.

How do you get focaccia dimples to stay?

Press your fingers all the way to the base of the tin and fill the dimples with brine. This focaccia recipe keeps its shape because the liquid sits in the holes as the dough bakes.

Can you make focaccia dough the day before?

Yes. Leave the covered dough in the fridge overnight after the folds. Let it warm up for about an hour, then shape it and continue with the recipe.

Where do people eat focaccia in Genoa?

People eat it in bakeries and cafés across the city. Many Genoese have a slice for breakfast with coffee or cappuccino.

You Might Also Enjoy

• The Ligurian Coast: Vernazza, Riomaggiore and Camogli
• Olive Harvest in Italy: Olio Nuovo and Where to Taste It
• Italian Pizza Guide: Naples, Rome and Regional Styles

Plan Your Italy Trip

Ready to taste focaccia where it began? Our Ultimate Italy Travel Guide helps you plan routes, regions and the best time to go.

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