- 1 cup (150 grams) cherry tomatoes
- Dried oregano
- 1 cup (167 grams) semolina flour
- 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (126 grams) riced or grated cooked potatoes (see note)
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) homemade bread starter (50/50 mix of flour and water, optional; see headnote)
- 2 teaspoons barley malt syrup
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (24 grams) instant yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the top
- 1 cup lukewarm water
Grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch round baking pan with high sides, at least 3 inches. Halve the cherry tomatoes, sprinkle them with salt, and let them sit for about 15 to 20 minutes. Before you use them, drain the tomatoes and season with dried oregano.
Place the flours, riced potatoes, starter (if using), barley malt, sea salt, instant yeast, olive oil, and lukewarm water into the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Mix these together for about 12 minutes, or until the dough looks supple but not too sticky.
Transfer the dough to a counter and gently shape into a ball. Transfer to the greased pan. Cover the dough with greased plastic wrap or parchment paper and let rise for about 20 minutes.
With lightly oiled hands, smoosh the dough down and spread it into the edges of the pan. Top the dough with the drained cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle the dough with a pinch of dried oregano and more extra-virgin olive oil. Leave the dough uncovered, and let it double in size. This usually takes about an hour but may be less depending on the temperature of your kitchen and the freshness of your starter. When it doubles, it’s ready.
Heat your oven to 450 degrees F. Bake until the top of the focaccia looks light brown and the bread pulls away from the edges of the baking pan, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.
Chef’s Note: Boil or microwave about 1 pound of potatoes, then use a box grater or ricer to break them down.
Chef’s Note: If your dough seems dry, add a little bit of tomato sauce to the tomatoes and oregano.
Making a Starter
Creating a starter is easy. Make a 50-50 mix of flour and nonchlorinated water—1 cup each, for example—and leave it out on the kitchen counter for 24 to 36 hours. You can cover it with a cloth, but there needs to be air coming in. The mix will start bubbling as it picks up natural yeast from the environment. At that point, it is ready to use.
You can keep some in the fridge for future use by replacing whatever amount you take out for a recipe.
“I have kept mine alive since 2016,” chef Francesco Mangano said. “Usually the first thing that I tell the cooks when I’m gone is, ‘Please feed my starter.’”
Recipe from “The Osteria Papavero Cookbook” by Francesco Mangano and Lindsay Christians
