Bravo! -- The Italian Flatbread Called Focaccia Is A Perfect Co- Star

It seems shoppers and diners can hardly turn around these days without running into focaccia.

Panini (Italian sandwiches) on focaccia have lunch seekers lining up at Botticelli in downtown Seattle. You can order this Italian flatbread with melted Gorgonzola filling at Palomino, or drizzle virgin olive oil on garlic-and-olive topped focaccia at Cucina! Cucina! The herb-fragrant focaccia at Larry's Markets has been known to be nibbled on in the car on the drive home. There's brown-and-serve focaccia on supermarket shelves and now even something called Pizzachia.

No wonder - this bread boasts an uncommon combination of taste and versatility: It can be an elegant accompaniment to a party meal or a simple but prominent co-star with a mug of hearty soup.

Before biting into focaccia lore, let's turn to Angelo Belgrano, the owner of Botticelli, for an authentic pronunciation of the word:

Foe-KA-cha.

The word is derived from focus which, as former Latin students can't forget, means hearth. Originally focaccia was made by flattening the dough into a circle and cooking it on a hot stone or on the hearth itself, under a mound of hot ashes.

With such a basic technique, then, it's not surprising that even the Mesopotamians are known to have eaten something akin to focaccia. Today, it is most closely associated with Genoa; in fact, this northwest Italian city is to focaccia what Naples is to pizza. Many people consider the two breads to be essentially the same, the difference coming with the lighter toppings on focaccia.

Historically, focaccia has been known as a food of peasants, combining basic, plentiful, low-cost ingredients with plenty of creativity. The crust can be thick or thin, soft or crisp. Olive oil is a constant, mixed in the dough itself and usually brushed on top as well. Rosemary is commonly used, alone or with oregano, basil, thyme, sage or parsley; salt, pepper or grated cheese can be sprinkled on top.

More ambitious toppings are limited only by the imagination: Garlic, mushrooms, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted shallots or peppers are some possibilities. One version is stuffed with ground beef, cheese and fennel seeds. And in Bologna, Italy, they put ice cream into a special focaccia made from a brioche-like dough.

So the emphasis doesn't necessarily have to rest with the bread itself. For his panini at Botticelli, Belgrano uses large round Sicilian flatbread from Three Girls' Bakery in the Pike Place Market. He slices the bread into wedges and horizontally, brushes the inner sides with a mixture of olive oil and herbs, and fills the sandwiches with one of several combinations. One of his most popular contains simply fresh mozzarella, Roma tomatoes and fresh basil; another is Focaccina Farcita (recipe follows). He places the filled sandwiches on a special two-sided grill, which looks something like a large waffle iron and produces a light, crisp sandwich.

``With this kind of machine,'' he says, ``you transform the bread. It improves the quality of the bread, and it gets lighter.''

Belgrano bought the $1,400 machine because he does not have time to make his own focaccia and does not think highly of most commercial breads.

``People don't know how to bake in this country,'' he says. ``Anything you bake has its own temperature. Here, they usually bake very hot. Most of the time it's burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. I think sometimes it's better to bake at 250 degrees for 5 or 10 minutes longer.''

This first focaccia recipe comes from Larry's Markets and calls for three dough risings. The result is a thick, spongy bread fragrant with rosemary and thyme. (The directions specify a hot oven; adventurous cooks might want to experiment with lower temperatures and longer cooking time, as Belgrano recommends.)

LARRY'S MARKETS

FOCACCIA

Makes 3 9-inch round loaves

1 package active dry yeast, or 1 small cake fresh yeast

1/4 cup warm (110-degree) water

2 1/4 cups warm (100-degree) water

6 tablespoons quality olive oil, divided, plus extra for pans

7 cups unbleached all-purpose sifted flour

2 to 3 teaspoons fine sea salt or table salt

2 tablespoons watercoarse sea salt fresh ground pepper chopped herbs, to taste

1. Mix yeast and 110-degree water in large bowl and allow to stand at room temperature until mixture is creamy, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Stir 100-degree water and 2 tablespoons olive oil into creamy yeast mixture.

3. If mixing by hand: Add 2 cups flour and 2 to 3 teaspoons fine salt and stir until smooth. Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until the dough comes together, then knead on floured surface until dough becomes soft and elastic, 10 to 12 minutes. If using a mixer: On low speed, add 1 cup of flour with salt using paddle. Continue adding flour, one cup at a time, until you have added 6 cups. Change to dough hook and add the final cup of flour. You may need to add 1 tablespoon of water. Continue mixing on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Dough should be smooth and elastic and the sides of the mixing bowl will be clean.

4. Place dough in a bowl lightly oiled with olive oil. Cover tightly and let rise until double, 1 to 2 hours, depending on the room temperature.

5. For rectangle focaccia, cut the dough in half and roll on a floured surface to fit into two olive-oiled 9x13 baking sheets (4 tablespoons oil per pan). For rounded focaccia, divide the dough into three equal parts. Roll as above and place in olive-oiled 9-inch pie plates (1 1/2 tablespoon per plate). Cover dough with a towel and let rise at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes.

6. Dimple the dough with your fingertips, by firmly pressing into the dough to form pockets for the olive oil and herbs. Cover with towel and let rise 50 to 70 minutes.

7. Mix 4 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons water; brush top of the focaccia with this mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Top with chopped herbs (such as rosemary and thyme). (If using dried rosemary, soak first in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towel.)

8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake 18 to 22 minutes. Remove immediately from pans. Serve warm, plain or with quality olive oil for dipping.

The following recipe, which calls for a thin pizza dough at the base, is adapted from the focaccia offered at the Lake Union restaurant Cucina! Cucina!

FOCACCIA CUCINA!

Makes 1

For the dough:

1 tablespoon sugar

1 ( 1/4-ounce) package dry yeast

1 cup warm (110-degree) water

3 1/4 cups flour, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup olive oil

For the topping:

2 tablespoons olive oil

large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

6 to 8 kalamata olives, pitted

and chopped

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. Combine the sugar, yeast and water; set aside for 5 minutes. Combine 3 cups flour and the salt in a large bowl; pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil, mixing until all of the flour has been moistened.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured kitchen counter, using some of the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Knead 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until double in bulk.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Punch down the dough and roll out on a lightly floured counter to a thin, 16-inch circle. Oil a 15-inch pizza pan or baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Transfer the dough to the pan; do not make an edge. Brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

4. Lightly rub the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, olives and red pepper into the dough.

5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes for soft bread, longer for crispy bread. Serve hot.

Here is a filling for a focaccia sandwich inspired by one served at Belgrano's cafe.

FOCACCINA FARCITA

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil1red bell pepper, diced

16-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts

4 ounces fontina cheese, diced

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

2 fresh roma tomatoes, diced fresh ground black pepper

1 thick focaccia, such as brown-and-serve type

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Heat tablespoon of olive oil to medium-hot and saute red bell pepper until just tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Drain artichoke hearts, reserving liquid.

3. Cut artichoke hearts into half-inch dice, discarding any tough, hard-to-cut leaves. Mix with bell pepper, cheeses and tomatoes, adding reserved artichoke-heart marinade and fresh ground pepper to taste.

4. Bake focaccia, if necessary. Allow to cool; slice into wide wedges and also in half horizontally.

5. Mix parsley, thyme, oregano and extra-virgin olive oil; brush onto insides of focaccia wedges. Fill wedges with cheese-and-vegetable mix.

6. Heat frying pan to medium-hot. Grill wedges just until outsides are slightly crisp. Serve immediately.