Comments on A Tuscan foodie in America: Success and failure in baking focaccia

Hi Kia, welcome and thank you! Alas, this focaccia...

2011-12-12T19:24:51.535-06:00

Hi Kia, welcome and thank you! Alas, this focaccia couldn't help you with your craving...it takes more than 10 hours to make, and by the time it is done, your craving will be gone!

Oh my, your focaccia looks so yummy! And now it...

2011-12-12T18:44:20.498-06:00

Oh my, your focaccia looks so yummy! And now it's almost 1 am and I am craving a bit, LOL! :)
Beautiful blog, I must be back with more free time.
Cheers from an Italian expat in Scotland.

Hi anonymous, welcome. Yes, thinking that the doug...

2011-12-09T08:21:56.751-06:00

Hi anonymous, welcome. Yes, thinking that the dough is too runny, and hence adding more flour is a very common mistake. What you obtain is not a focaccia, but a flattened bread. Still good, just a different thing. Stay tuned: this weekend I am going to bake the schiacciata and take photos of the process, so I will publish the recipe next week. The dough is very, very liquid (more or less there is a 1:1 ration for flour and water), but the trick is all in the long rise. not in the oven, or else the schiacciata will be yeasty (any temperature above 85F/25C will make your bread taste yeasty).

Hi, just found this site after my 2nd attempt of m...

2011-12-09T04:03:45.467-06:00

Hi, just found this site after my 2nd attempt of making Foccacia yesterday. I was watching a t.v programme The Great British Bake Off last month and was interested in watching cooks prepare Foccacia from a typed 'guide' recipe. Most of them fell into the trap of thinking the mixture was too runny and added way too much flour resulting in a very close textured bread. I managed to get the recipe on-line and cooked it and apart from proving the dough in too hot an atmosphere (yeasty taste) I was pleased. I therefore bought the book written by the Artisan Baker and tried another Foccacia recipe which called for less water but called for the brushing of very salty water to be brushed on top without stating whether all of it should be used (31/2 mls) I only used a little and the result was close texture and too thick (it didnt say size of dish either)
I will try it again using more water and cannot wait to try your Schiacciatta recipe. Thankyou for sharing your ideas and comments.

Hi Claudio, thanks! I didn't know about the ...

2011-12-08T09:35:22.499-06:00

Hi Claudio, thanks!

I didn't know about the piadina stuff...I mean, I knew the piadina, the flatbread you will in with ham and/or cheese, but I didn't know that you call anything piadina!

As for your wife: I am sure she loves that type of surprise!

Urca!... Your focaccia looks not bad at all (the o...

2011-12-07T16:48:35.257-06:00

Urca!... Your focaccia looks not bad at all (the one on the left, I mean).. I tried to bake some "pane" last weekend and it turned out quite good. My wife was very surprised! Actually she's not so confident on my cooking skill... Anyway, your post about focaccia just brought me to think of how many terms we have to name a simple focaccia in Italy, but here in Romagna (and especially in Forlì) we're more practical: we name "piadina" almost every dough made by flour, water and salt and baked on a pan... Yes, quite simple. And if you're about to ask: yes, this generates a complete chaos most of the time you ask for a piece of "piadina" in a bakery.

The main problem I see with the focaccia bread you...

2011-12-07T11:08:00.244-06:00

The main problem I see with the focaccia bread you buy in local supermarkets in Chicago (when you find it) is that it is not crispy at all, rather a soggy, sad greaseball. Focaccia is a painful and long thing to make, so it cannot be rushed. I guess that, unless you jack up the prices, it is very un-economical for a supermarket.

Who knew all the details going into making this di...

2011-12-07T10:40:23.164-06:00

Who knew all the details going into making this dish. The only focaccia we see around here are in grocery stores and you know that isn't authentic. Just greasy so I don't bother buying it.

Interested to see your recipe in the next blog. I am always up for trying new ones.

Hello there - now, the terminology is very confus...

2011-12-07T09:15:31.636-06:00

Hello there - now, the terminology is very confusing in Italy, and it varies not only region by region, but sometimes village by village.

In general terms, schiacciata is a term mostly used only in Tuscany to indicate what others call focaccia. But focaccia is also used in the Marches region and in Lazio to indicate a sort of panettone eaten for Easter. And pizza is used in Rome and in the regions which once belonged to the Pope to indicate what elsewhere is called focaccia...

So, to answer your question: it depends. Pizza bianca to me is the one made with the pizza dough, which is different from focaccia/schiacciata...

Now I die to have a piece of focaccia (even the &#...

2011-12-07T08:49:06.424-06:00

Now I die to have a piece of focaccia (even the 'ugly' one...)/schiacciata...Actually I have a question: what is the difference between the two? To me schiacciata is 'pizza bianca', while focaccia is a little bit higher and softer...correct? Please try to post the recipe soon as I would like to bake one on Saturday...Grazie!