4-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup olive oil, plus extra oil for coating the pans
2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water, approximately 110° F
2 baking potatoes, boiled with skin on
1 pack dry active yeast
2-3 Plum tomatoes, sliced thin
Dried oregano
Black pepper
Boil the potatoes until fork tender. Drain and peel the potatoes and pass them through a potato ricer or mash them with a potato masher or fork in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour, yeast, and salt to the mashed potatoes. Drizzle the water and then the oil a bit at a time until they are absorbed into the dough. When all the water and oil are incorporated into the dough, remove the dough to a floured work surface and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes. Add additional flour if the dough appears to be sticky. Divide the dough into three parts and form three disks. Coat three 8-9” round cake pans with oil and press a disk of dough into each. Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise for approximately 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Garnish the tops of the focaccia with the tomatoes, oregano and pepper, and using your finger tips make dimples into the tops (these dimples will catch the oil). Drizzle the tops with a little oil. Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, spraying the focaccia with water, using a spray bottle. Bake until golden brown. Serve warm or use cold to make sandwiches.
*You may also garnish the focaccia with green and black olives, or rosemary, or caramelized onions etc the toppings are infinite. But the tomatoes and oregano are traditional toppings for Barese Focaccia.
