Focaccia

Italian bread · baking · Mediterranean food

Flat and fluffy. Focaccia is a special kind of bread that's baked in a flat shape, kind of like a thick pizza without the sauce and cheese. It gets wonderfully puffy inside while staying crispy on the outside.

Olive oil magic. The bread gets brushed generously with olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt before baking, which makes it super flavorful and gives it a gorgeous golden color. Sometimes chefs add rosemary, olives, or other toppings too.

From Italy. Focaccia comes from Italy, especially from the northern regions like Liguria, where people have been making it for hundreds of years. It's eaten as a snack, appetizer, or even torn up to go with meals.

Leavened bread. Unlike some flatbreads, focaccia uses yeast to make it rise, which gives it an airy, pillowy texture inside. This leavening process makes it different from unleavened flatbreads.

Pizza's cousin. Focaccia is actually similar to a Roman bread called pizza bianca, which means white pizza without toppings. Both breads share the same basic dough and baking style.