Focaccia

Italian cuisine is distinguished by its culinary diversity. The richness of tastes has become the reason for its huge popularity all over the world. Italy is the birthplace of not only world-famous pasta, lasagna and pizza, but also bakery products and pastries.

Focaccia is a traditional Italian flatbread. It is believed that focaccia is the prototype of the basis for pizza. In ancient times, it was the food of ordinary peasants, fishermen and soldiers.

Types of cakes

Focaccia is made from unleavened, rich and yeast dough. Accordingly, in appearance, such cakes differ. They are high, semi-high and thin (flat). They are served for dinner as bread, sometimes used in the preparation of pizza.

Most often, focaccia is prepared with fillings or toppings (fillings located on top). As a filling, ingredients that are rich in Italian cuisine are used: cheeses (hard or soft creamy), prosciutto ham, olives, eggplant, sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions and even cherries. Delicious tortillas are made with the addition of herbs (rosemary, oregano, sage, basil, arugula, dill, parsley) and crushed garlic with olive oil, which is used to smear the top of the already baked tortilla^[1]. Filled focaccia is very satisfying, so it is a great option for a quick snack.

Outside of Italy, the recipe for this flatbread has been adapted. With an American twist in mind: Focaccia with potatoes is popular in New York.

Focaccia is used to make Italian snack breads – bruschetta and crostini. If you cut it into pieces, heat it up, rub it with garlic, brush it with olive oil, and put a piece of ham, sun-dried tomato, cheese or other stuffing on top, you get bruschetta. In order to make crostini, focaccia is cut and eaten with pesto, tomato or other sauce.

Focaccia is traditionally made with four essential ingredients: wheat flour, olive oil, water and salt.^[2]. If the cake is made from yeast dough, then the fifth ingredient is yeast. Some bakers add milk to the dough to make the cake fluffier.

In different Italian regions, focaccia is baked, which differs in the type of dough, shape and fillings:

• in the province of Imperia, it is prepared as an open pie with a lot of tomato sauce;
• Genoese focaccia has the appearance of a thin cake, smeared with olive oil and salt, which is usually washed down with milk;
• in the city of Recco (Liguria) they prepare a thin two-layer cake with cheese, smoked sausage and hot spices (garlic, pepper);
• in the city of Bari in southern Italy, focaccia is served with olives and fresh tomatoes;
• Focaccia Veneta, baked in the Veneto region of Italy, is an Easter sweet. In the dough of this yeast cake, in addition to the main ingredients, put honey, sugar, cinnamon and butter.

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Chemical composition

Focaccia is primarily a bakery product, so it is a source of carbohydrates. The nutritional value of these cakes largely depends on what kind of flour was used to make it. A tortilla baked with durum wheat flour is rich in fiber, minerals and vitamins.^[4].

The calorie content of yeast classic focaccia without filling is about 320 kcal per 100 g^[5]. At the same time, about 60% of calories come from carbohydrates (47,3 g), 30% from fats (10,7 g) and 10% from proteins (7,7 g)^[6].

The proteins contained in the dough are represented mainly by gluten (gluten). Among the amino acids in the protein molecules of focaccia cakes, glutamic acid, proline and leucine predominate.

Since the dough contains olive oil, focaccia contains unsaturated fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins (A and E). The vitamin and mineral composition of Italian focaccia bread prepared according to the classic recipe includes:

• B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, choline, pyridoxine, folic acid and cyanocobalamin);
• vitamin PP (nicotinic acid);
• macronutrients (potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus);
• trace elements (zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, iron)^[5].

Adding filling to the cake changes its chemical composition, nutritional and energy value.

Useful Properties

Focaccia in her homeland is baked most often from durum wheat flour. It contains a lot of fiber, which has a mechanical effect on the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, and accelerates intestinal motility.

Due to the rich vitamin composition, focaccia restores the intestinal microflora and strengthens the immune system. B vitamins normalize brain activity, promote concentration and improve memory^[7].

Focaccia contains a large amount of glutamic acid, which is known as a powerful neurostimulator, it is a direct conductor of nerve impulses in the brain, and is also involved in the synthesis of biologically active substances such as folic acid (vitamin B9) and serotonin, which also activate brain activity.^[8].

The amino acid proline, carotenoids and vitamin E affect the condition of the skin, nails and hair. They increase the turgor (elasticity) of the skin, protect against premature aging, solar radiation and infections, accelerate recovery after damage.^[9]. Due to its anti-sclerotic properties, proline, together with unsaturated fatty acids, prevents the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

Focaccia is a high-calorie product and a source of carbohydrates, so it is useful for schoolchildren and students (especially during tests and exams), athletes to build muscle mass, people after serious illnesses, malnourished patients. Healthy people should consume this classic Italian bread in moderation, no more than 150-200 grams per day.

Possible harm

Italian focaccia is a carbohydrate-rich pastry. Due to its high carbohydrate content, it is contraindicated for people with diabetes, as well as for those who are on a weight loss diet.

The gluten present in wheat flour is preserved in baked goods, so focaccia is not recommended for people with celiac disease.

Proteins of wheat flour in the process of splitting in the human body form purines, so this bread is forbidden to be included in the diet of people suffering from gout or urolithiasis.

Recipes

There are a huge number of recipes for making this Italian traditional bread. To bake a classic fluffy focaccia without filling, you can use the following recipe^[10].

Traditional high focaccia

To prepare it, you need to take 1 glass of water, 300 g of flour, 1 tsp each. salt and sugar, 8 g yeast, 4 tbsp. olive oil, a pinch of chopped herbs (oregano, rosemary, basil).

Dissolve yeast, salt and sugar in warm (38-40 ° C) water, add 3 tbsp. sifted flour, stir until smooth. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and leave to ferment for 15-20 minutes. Stir the dough, add the herbs and the remaining flour. Make a well in the center of the bowl with the dough and pour in the olive oil. After kneading the dough until it stops sticking to your fingers, put it in a bowl and leave it in a warm place for an hour and a half. At the same time, after 45 minutes from the start of proofing, the dough must be re-kneaded.

Roll out the finished dough to the size of the mold or baking sheet (the height of the dough should be 2-2,5 cm), put in a baking dish on parchment, greased with olive oil. With the fingers of both hands, make pits over the entire surface of the dough, drop a little oil into the pits formed.

Turn on the oven at 200°C. While the oven heats up, the dough will rise a little more.

Bake until golden brown, usually 20-25 minutes. After baking, you need to let the focaccia “lie down” a little on a wire rack or board, covering it with a cotton towel.

This recipe can be modified at the request of the baker. For example, you can put olives in the holes on the surface of the dough before baking, put tomato circles or other ingredients on top.

Culinary subtleties

To make focaccia lush, fragrant, with a crispy crust, there are some culinary tricks in its baking:

• it is better to start with a round-shaped cake – it is easier to roll out the dough evenly;
• instead of water, mineral water with gas can be added to the dough for thin focaccia;
• a few hours before preparing focaccia, make flavored olive oil (chopped herbs should be poured into a small container with oil);
• so that the yeast dough does not dry out during proofing, its surface must be moistened with salt water;
• so that the surface of the cake after baking is soft, it must be greased with a mixture of olive oil, water and salt^[11].

These culinary subtleties will help even a novice cook to achieve excellent results the first time.

Conclusions

Focaccia is a tortilla-shaped bread that is the national dish of Italy. It is made from unleavened, yeast and even rich dough, with and without filling. It is used to make sandwiches, sandwiches, bruschetta, crostini. Occasionally, focaccia is used as the basis for pizza.

The dough for classic focaccia includes four essential ingredients: durum wheat flour, olive oil, water and salt. Yeast is needed to bake tall fluffy focaccia.

High calorie content, carbohydrate and fiber content, unsaturated fats and proteins make Italian bread useful for many people: for athletes, students during their studies, weakened and malnourished people. In order for focaccia to bring only benefits to the body, it must be prepared from durum wheat flour and consumed no more than 150-200 g per day.

The presence of gluten and purines in focaccia is a contraindication for its use by people suffering from celiac or urolithiasis, gout and obesity.

Italian bread is easy to make at home. At the same time, cheeses, sausages and meat products, vegetables, olives, herbs can be used as a filling.

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