Focaccia di Recco

Name: Focaccia di Recco
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Ligure
Ingredients: 300 g strong white flour (manitoba or high-protein wheat flour); 160 ml Water; 40 ml ligurian extra virgin olive oil; 6 g Fine sea salt; 450 g crescenza or stracchino (creamy soft cow's milk cheese)

A crisp, wafer-thin unleavened Ligurian flatbread filled with pockets of molten stracchino cheese that bubble through torn top vents.

🇮🇹Italy· Liguria

Prep: 45 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 55 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 460 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

300 g strong white flour (manitoba or high-protein wheat flour) — high gluten strength is essential for stretching
160 ml Water — lukewarm
40 ml ligurian extra virgin olive oil — divided between dough and brushing
6 g Fine sea salt — plus extra for finishing
450 g crescenza or stracchino (creamy soft cow's milk cheese) — chilled and spooned into dollops

Equipment

•Large round aluminium or copper baking sheet (32cm)
•Mixing bowl
•Pastry brush
•Rolling pin

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 460 kcal
fat: 24 g
carbs: 44 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 18 g
calories: 460 kcal

Instructions

1
Mix the strong flour, water, half the olive oil, and salt in a bowl until combined.
2
Knead the dough vigorously on a clean worktop for ten minutes until silky and very elastic.
3
Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape them into smooth balls.
4
Cover the balls with a bowl and leave to rest at room temperature for thirty minutes.
5
Preheat your oven to its absolute maximum setting, ideally 250°C to 280°C, with a shelf in the lowest position.
6
Roll out one dough portion thinly, then use the backs of your hands to stretch it until translucent.
7
Oil a wide, shallow metal baking tin and lay the paper-thin dough sheet over the base.
8
Distribute walnut-sized spoonfuls of stracchino cheese evenly across the bottom sheet of dough.
9
Stretch the second dough portion equally thin and drape it gently over the cheese layer.
10
Pinch and tear six small vent holes in the top sheet to allow steam to escape.
11
Trim the edge overhangs, crimp the borders tightly, brush generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.
12
Bake on the bottom shelf for eight to ten minutes until golden, blistered, and bubbling.

Chef's tips

High-protein strong flour is non-negotiable to prevent tears while stretching the dough translucent. Work quickly once the cheese is laid down so the wet filling does not make the delicate bottom sheet soggy. Your oven must be as hot as safely possible to blister the pastry before the cheese fully liquefies.

Ingredient substitutions

crescenza or stracchino (creamy soft cow's milk cheese) → prescinseua (Ligurian fresh curd cheese) or mild taleggio without rind mixed with a splash of cream
Ligurian extra virgin olive oil → any delicate, mild extra virgin olive oil

Storage

Eat immediately, as this delicate cheese focaccia turns soft and does not store well.

Reheating

Reheat slices on a smoking-hot dry skillet for two minutes to re-crisp the base.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Adding yeast to the dough, which turns it into ordinary thick bread instead of crisp unleavened pastry
•Failing to tear vent holes in the top sheet, causing steam to puff and rupture the focaccia
•Baking at too low a temperature, which results in pale, sodden pastry and greasy, separated cheese

Serving suggestions

Serve immediately while piping hot and molten on wooden boardsPair with a chilled glass of Ligurian Pigato or Vermentino white wineSlice into large squares for an aperitivo alongside green Taggiasca olives