Pour the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Crumble the yeast into the well. Place the salt on the side of the flour so it doesn’t touch the yeast right away. Pour a little water into the center and mix with a spatula to dissolve the yeast.

Gradually incorporate the flour using the spatula, adding water as needed, until you have a very soft, sticky dough (not liquid). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled or more in volume. I leave mine in the oven, preheated to 120°F (50°C) and then turned off.

Once the dough has risen, pour a generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil into the bottom of a baking pan and place all the dough in the center on top of the oil. (Traditionally, focaccia barese is baked in a 16-inch (40 cm) round iron pan that looks like a bottle cap. Alternatively, you can use a heavy aluminum pan of the same size.)

Dip your hands in the oil in the pan and use your fingertips to gently stretch the dough to cover the entire surface. Don’t worry about the amount of oil you see—the special thing about this focaccia is that it fries in the oil as it bakes, making the edges and bottom crispy.

Spread a few tablespoons of tomato sauce over the surface. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, squeeze out the seeds onto the dough, then place the tomato halves cut side down, close together, on the focaccia.

In the empty spaces between the tomatoes, add the olives with pits, pressing them in slightly. Season with fine salt and oregano. In a drinking glass, mix 3/4 water and 1/4 extra-virgin olive oil, whisk with a fork, and pour the emulsion generously over the focaccia, drizzling it slowly over the back of a spoon to avoid disturbing the toppings.

Important! This step, though it may seem unusual, is essential. It helps keep the focaccia moist, since home ovens don’t reach the high temperatures of bakery ovens and require a longer baking time, which could otherwise dry out the bread.

Bake at the highest temperature your oven allows (mine goes up to 480°F/250°C), using the conventional (not convection) setting, placing the pan on the oven floor for the first 10 minutes. Then move the pan to the second rack from the bottom and bake for another 20–25 minutes. As always, adjust the time to your oven. The tomatoes should look slightly charred.

Focaccia barese is one of the most iconic street foods of Puglian cuisine and is delicious hot or cold, any time of day—lunch, snack, dinner, or even breakfast! Enjoy your focaccia barese!