Focaccia di Recco
A paper thin Ligurian flatbread stuffed with soft stracchino cheese and baked for 20 minutes until crisp and blistered.
Photograph credit: Focaccia con il formaggio di Recco classica by Superchilum · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Roll it thinner than you think is sensible. That is the whole skill in focaccia di Recco, a Ligurian flatbread made of two almost transparent sheets of dough with soft cheese between them, and the thinness is what makes it crisp.
The dough has only flour, water, oil and salt, and no yeast. Knead it well, so it is smooth and stretchy, and rest it for 30 minutes under a bowl. Stretch each half over the back of your hands until you can see through it, then lay it over an oiled tray so it hangs over the edge. Dot with spoonfuls of stracchino, leaving gaps, and cover with the second sheet.
Press the edges together, trim the overhang with a rolling pin pressed over the rim, and pinch a few holes in the top so steam can escape. Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and bake at 250°C / 480°F for 20 minutes, until blistered and gold in patches. Serve at once, cut in wedges, while the cheese still runs.
Questions About Focaccia di Recco
How long does Focaccia di Recco take to make?
40 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes of resting, so allow 1 hour 30 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.
Focaccia di Recco: Step by Step
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Mix the flour, water, 2 tablespoons of the oil and the salt and knead for 8 minutes until smooth. Divide in two and rest for 30 minutes.
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Heat the oven to 250°C / 480°F. Oil a 30 cm round tin.
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Stretch one piece of dough very thin and lay it in the tin, letting it hang over the edge. Dot with the cheese.
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Stretch the second piece very thin and lay it over the top. Press the edges, roll a rolling pin over the rim to trim, and pinch holes in the top.
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Brush with the remaining oil, sprinkle with the flaky salt and bake for 20 minutes until blistered and golden.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Pan and tin size.
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Worth Getting Right
- Stretch the dough until you can see through it.
- Pinch holes so steam can escape.
- Serve at once, while the cheese is runny.
Pairs Well With
Dry white wine · Cured ham · Green salad
Keeping and Reheating
Best fresh.
What's in a Serving
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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