Doughs & batters
Focaccia di Recco dough
Pasta per focaccia di Recco · A simple, unleavened Italian dough from the Ligurian town of Recco, made from high-gluten (bread) flour, water, extra-virgin olive oil and salt. It is rested briefly, then stretched paper-thin in two sheets that sandwich soft stracchino (crescenza) cheese before baking at high heat. The dough itself is the reusable base; the finished flatbread is the named dish.
The formula
4:2:1 flour:water:olive oil (by weight); ~52–58% hydration; ~2–2.5% salt
Derived from Pasta Grammar (400 g / 210 g / 20 g) and ATK (255 g / ~150 g / ~64 g). Not 3:1:1 and traditionally contains no yeast.
Identity
- Unleavened dough — no yeast is used (La Cucina Italiana, Recipes from Italy)
- Made with high-gluten/bread flour, not 00, so it can be stretched paper-thin without tearing (ATK, Serious Eats, Pasta Grammar)
- Moderate hydration (~52–58%) kept extensible by a generous slug of olive oil (Serious Eats)
- Rested only briefly (≈45 min) — no fermentation; gluten relaxes rather than develops via time
- Always assembled as two paper-thin sheets sandwiching soft, fresh cheese
Ingredients
| Base | high-gluten / bread flour | Strong flour (12–14% protein) is required so the sheet can be stretched transparent without tearing; 00 is too weak for this technique (ATK, Serious Eats, Pasta Grammar). |
| Liquid | water | Cool tap water, ~52–58% of flour weight (Pasta Grammar 210/400; ATK 150/255). |
| Fat | extra-virgin olive oil | Added directly into the dough (not just for the pan) — gives extensibility and suppleness so the dough stretches thin (Serious Eats). |
| Seasoning | fine salt | ~2–2.5% of flour weight (10 g per 400 g flour; 3/4 tsp per 255 g flour). |
| Sweetener | sugar (pinch) | Optional; a pinch promotes browning in a domestic oven that runs cooler than a Neapolitan pizza oven (Serious Eats). |
| Enrichment | stracchino / crescenza cheese (filling) | Not part of the dough itself but listed because it is the inseparable companion ingredient — soft, fresh, melty cow's-milk cheese (ATK, Pasta Grammar). |
Method
- 1Whisk flour, salt (and optional sugar) in a bowl; stir in water and most of the olive oil to form a shaggy dough.Distributes salt evenly before gluten forms and coats flour particles with oil so hydration is controlled.
- 2Knead briefly (5–8 minutes) until smooth and elastic, or mix then autolyse.High-gluten flour needs gluten development to survive being rolled paper-thin without tearing (ATK, Pasta Grammar).
- 3Wrap in oiled film and rest 45 minutes (or up to several hours) at room temperature.Rest relaxes the gluten so the dough becomes extensible; unlike yeasted focaccia there is no fermentation (Serious Eats, ATK).
- 4Divide into two equal pieces; on an oiled surface, roll each piece out as thinly as possible (transparent when held to the light).The defining texture of focaccia di Recco — two tissue-thin crisp sheets — comes from this stretch; a high-oil dough cooperates (Serious Eats).
- 5Lay one sheet on an oiled pan, dot with chunks of stracchino leaving a border, cover with the second sheet and seal the edges.Forms the sealed cheese pocket that melts into a molten layer while the crust stays crisp.
- 6Poke small steam holes in the top sheet, brush with olive oil (and a little water), sprinkle flake salt, and bake at maximum oven heat (≈250 °C / 480 °F) until blistered and golden.Holes vent steam so the crust stays crisp-tender rather than soggy; high heat sets the thin dough before the cheese fully escapes (Serious Eats, Pasta Grammar).
Techniques that matter
Paper-thin stretch (sfoglia sottile)
The hallmark of the bread: the top sheet should be near-transparent so the cheese silhouette shows through.
Oil-in-the-dough hydration
Serious Eats credits the high EVOO content with making the dough extensible so it can be stretched without snapping back.
Steam venting
Small holes pierced in the upper layer prevent the cheese from blowing out and keep the crust crisp (Serious Eats).
Variations & derivatives
Focaccia col formaggioLigurian coast outside Recco
Same dough and method; the name is used because 'focaccia di Recco' is a protected local designation (La Cucina Italiana).
Quattro formaggi fillingHome / modern trattorie
Replace stracchino with chopped gorgonzola, chopped taleggio, grated Swiss and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano in roughly equal parts (Pasta Grammar).
Pinched-edge 'mandorlato' styleRecco bakeries (e.g. Manuelina)
Edges pinched decoratively to seal; still the same unleavened dough (La Cucina Italiana).
Used in these dishes
Substitutions
- high-gluten / bread flour → Italian type 0 flour — Acceptable if protein is ≥12%; do NOT use cake/00 — the dough will tear when stretched.changes result
- stracchino / crescenza → young, soft, meltable cow's-milk cheese (e.g. fresh mozzarella well-drained, taleggio) — Texture must be soft and creamy; aged hard cheeses will not melt into the signature molten layer.
- extra-virgin olive oil → light olive oil + a finishing drizzle of EVOO — Functional for dough, but you lose the Ligurian flavor profile.
Troubleshooting
Top sheet tears when being stretched or transferred
Flour protein is too weak (used 00 or cake flour) or dough was under-kneaded/under-rested → Switch to bread flour with ≥12% protein; knead to a smooth ball and rest a full 45 minutes before rolling.
Crust is tough or bready instead of crisp and wafer-thin
Sheets were rolled too thick, or oven temperature was too low → Roll until semi-transparent and bake at the oven's maximum setting on a preheated steel/stone.
Cheese bursts out of the seams during baking
Steam has no escape route and/or edges were not sealed → Prick several small holes in the top sheet and pinch edges firmly to seal before baking (Serious Eats).
Pale, anemic top
Home oven cannot match the heat of a wood-fired Ligurian forno → Add a pinch of sugar to the dough and brush the top with a little water alongside the oil to aid browning (Serious Eats).