Focaccia di Recco Recipe

This Ligurian flatbread recipe is a prime example of how important focaccia is to the region. Stringy stracchino cheese is sandwiched between two layers of bread dough and baked in a roaring hot oven, resulting in an indulgent snack that's perfect for any time of day.

Focaccia di Recco is a cheese-stuffed unleavened focaccia from the Ligurian town of Recco. As of June 2012, the dish became an Italian IGP product, so here is an unofficial recipe! You'll have to visit the region to taste the real thing. Stracchino can be found in good Italian delis.

Ingredients

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400g of strong bread flour
150ml of water, room temperature
10g of salt
50ml of olive oil
250g of stracchino
flaky sea salt, to finish
extra virgin olive oil, to brush

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Combine the water, oil and salt and stir to dissolve the salt

Stir in the flour bit by bit until you have a soft dough

Knead the dough for ten minutes. It should be smooth and elastic when ready. Place in a greased bowl and cover with clingfilm, then leave to rest for 2 hours

Once rested, preheat the oven to 250°C/gas mark 9. Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half to around 2mm thick.

Carefully transfer the rolled out dough to a greased baking tray

Carefully spread out the cheese evenly, then roll out the other half of the dough to an equal thickness and carefully lay on top. Pierce the top of the dough a few times with a knife to prevent it ballooning out during cooking

Pinch the edges to form a seal so the cheese doesn’t melt out. Brush with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with crunchy sea salt

Bake in a very hot oven for 10–15 minutes

Slice and serve straight away whilst the cheese is stringy and melted