Focaccia from Bari

 a snack for excellence in Bari. There is not a time of day where you just eat more, in fact bakeries of the city is ready right from the first morning and the smell that emanates spreads on the street. The flatbread Bari is the snack for excellence in the Apulian city, is used to replace lunch or dinner but you eat at any other time of the day, "whim" and it is not uncommon to meet people who quietly savor the street,  The boys bring to school, wrapped in oiled paper, to have a snack during the break or when marinating lessons. It leads to the beach and becomes the meal of a long day at the beach under an umbrella. And 'the meal is consumed during the football games seen in the company of friends, together, in this case the inevitable mortadella. In short, from early morning until late evening accompanies  the day of Bari. It 'hard to describe every taste sensation that conveys  Bari, the only way to understand what I'm saying is get into a bakery to buy freshly baked

Ingredients

• 300 gr. wheat flour type
• 200 gr. durum wheat semolina
• 100 gr. potatoes
• 200 gr. yeast

 

• 50 ml. extra virgin olive oil
• 300/350 ml. water for kneading
• 400 gr. cherry tomatoes to flavor
• 20 Baresane olives in brine to season
• oregano to taste for seasoning
• extra virgin olive oil to taste for seasoning
• salt for seasoning

Instructions

1. To prepare the cake in Bari, started by boiling a potato in boiling water, then mash with a potato masher Then pour the wheat flour  and the durum wheat semolina in the bowl of a planetary. If you do not have a planet, pour into a bowl and then knead by hand.
2. Also add the mashed potatoes, salt and yeast in a single piece of 200 gr. (Grab it at your local baker of trust. Remember that the yeast must be refreshed at least 4 hours).
3. Stir in a little water and the planetary driven at low speed, adding the rest of the water flush. If you find that you work in a hot environment, we recommend adding the water very cold, otherwise it will have to be at room temperature. Finally add the oil, which will serve to give elasticity and crunchiness to the product.
4. After the first 5 minutes increased the speed of the mixer and continue to knead for 15 minutes: have to work the dough until it comes away from the bowl well and be completely smooth and elastic, that is when it will start to "crackle" noise that makes the ' when dough is filled with bubbles and is processed quickly.
5. If you find it hard to detach the dough from the bowl, you can add a pinch of flour to the edges of the bowl of the planetary to facilitate the operation. Be careful not to add too much flour to prevent the dough harden too.
6. Once the dough is ready, separate it from the hook. Oiled the working plane, which must not be of wood otherwise the oil will leave an indelible stain, and placed the mixture, turning to oil it from both sides. Knead just enough to form two balls about 400 gr. each.
7. Take a medium sized tray and oil it, using a brush to sprinkle the oil better. It 'important that the tray is not too large to ensure that the two forms of dough are close. The close proximity, in fact, will allow it to grow better. Then placed the balls of dough in oiled tray.
8. This is the leavening phase: let the mixture at room temperature, without cover, for about 8-12 hours. If you find yourself in an environment that exceeds 20 °, your dough will rise in 8 hours, if, instead, your environment will be between 15 and 20 ° it may take up to 12 hours. After this time you will notice that your dough will be leavened and has formed a light crust on the surface.
9. To find out if the dough has risen properly and is not collapsed, you will need to do a test: the surface of the dough lightly crushed with a finger, the dough will have to return to the original shape because sufficiently elastic.
10. Now that your dough is ready, you can stretch out  Take a baking dish with a diameter of 32 cm and oil by spreading the oil all over the pan with your hands or a brush. Lie down a ball of dough in the center, turning it over to oil it from both sides, and flattened the dough with your fingers to spread it out to cover the entire surface of the pan.
11. Once you spread the dough, break the tomatoes in half with your hands to drain all the juice and seeds and place face down, until it fills the entire surface  Now put the olives, oiled again, add a pinch of salt and dried oregano.
12. Bake  in oven (or fan), preheated at full power for 20-25 minutes. The ideal would be 270 degrees, but if your oven does not reach this temperature just set it to maximum power, usually 250 °. If you have access to a baking stone, place it on the bottom shelf of the oven and preheat for at least 40 minutes.
13. Once baked, it will be crisp and about 1-1.5 cm high.