Black Pepper Focaccia Genovese

focaccia bread with black pepper and salt on top.

5 from 4 votes

Black Pepper Focaccia Genovese

This fluffy pizza dough is transformed and shaped into Focaccia Genovese with extra-virgin olive oil and then sprinkled with flaked sea salt and a generous amount of black pepper.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Rest8

Total Time8 25

Course: Appetizers

Cuisine: Italian-Inspired

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 715.67kcal

Author: Tracey Gene

Ingredients

Soft Dough ~ makes 2 dough balls

500 grams all-purpose flour
350 grams water
10 grams salt
1 gram instant active yeast

Focaccia Bread

2 tbsp all-purpose flour for dusting
400 grams soft dough (around 400-450 grams of dough)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp flaked sea salt
2 tbsp black pepper freshly cracked for optimal flavor

Instructions

Make the Dough.
Heat water to 90°F and add the yeast on top, and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss flour and salt together. Add the water and yeast mixture to the bowl and mix with a spatula until incorporated.
Fold the dough.
Wet your working hand and reach underneath the dough, stretch it out and up, and fold it over the top. Repeat with the remaining dough until it is soft and springy. Next, shape the dough into a ball, add olive oil on top, and set the bowl in a warm (but not hot) dark place for up to 8 hours, covered with a towel on top.
Ferment/Rest up to 8 hours.
The dough should have doubled in size, and the top should have bubbles forming.
Divide dough into 2 balls.
Moderately flour a surface and ease the dough out of the bowl. Dust the top of the dough with flour, then cut it into 2 equal doughs. Shape the dough into 2 balls following the same fold method.
Put the dough balls on a lightly floured baking sheet, leaving space between them to allow for expansion. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before making pizza, or transfer it to the fridge for later use.
Shape and dimple the dough with Olive Oil.
Start to shape the dough on a floured surface using your hands, and gently stretch the dough to fill a baking pan (9″ x 13″). Add about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Transfer the dough to the pan, stretch it to each side, and press your fingers into the dough to create dimples.
Add Black Pepper and Bake.
Once the dough has been dimpled, add olive oil and generously sprinkle fresh black pepper on top.
Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from oven and immediately slice into pieces and add sea salt on top before serving.

Notes

The soft dough makes 2 servings. Use 1 dough for focaccia and the other for homemade pizza, or make 2 focaccia breads.

Tips

Bring dough to room temperature.
Rest the dough for 10 minutes if it resists shaping.
Use freshly cracked Black Pepper for optimal flavor.

Nutrition