I had never made bread before this recipe, and it was the gateway drug. I did a lot of research on how I wanted to approach a focaccia, though I had my vision of a thin, almost pizzette presentation with fresh burrata and colorful roasted tomatoes and a second version with green olives. This is not fluffy focaccia; it’s about half the usual height and a little crispier on the top, with just a hint of that traditional focaccia texture in the middle. To me it feels more low-carb-friendly than the big fluffy version, more fun snacking and less carb loading.
I had the best bread in Italy, and top four of my life, when I stayed at Belmond’s Hotel Splendido in Portofino. I think I ate an entire day’s nutritional value just in bread, starting with the lavish spread of olive breads in the morning and continuing with the bread served at every meal. There is just something special about Liguria; it’s as romantic and beautifully picturesque as it comes, and that infinity pool at Splendido is everything. It’s been 10 years since I was there, but I still think about the bread, and this recipe represents it well, though nothing is better than being there in person. The pizza portion of this recipe is inspired by a trip to Slovenia, where I had a similar dish on a wine estate, Kruh in Vino, which borders Italy. It was one of the first meals I tried to recreate at home with store-bought focaccia from Eataly. This time though, I’m making that bread from Splendido, just because.
While I’m gluten-free by choice for the most part, I’m leaving to the real bread makers the task of creating a gluten-free version that’s just as good as the original. I did, though, give the gluten more time to break down by doing a long rise – about 24 hours, 18 of which is in the refrigerator. The result, as you can see from the photos, was some of the most beautiful bread I’ve seen. So in a nutshell, actual active time is relatively easy on this recipe, but it’s a waiting game to give the dough time to do its thing. It’s worth it.
