What the Focaccia?

I worked at Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza for two years, and one thing they’re well-known for is their focaccia bread. Whenever I was able, I would sneak a piece or two, or order a side of bread for the food that already came with bread. It was that good. We also made it in culinary a couple of times, but it was always too salty and more like regular bread with oil smothered on top. It just wasn’t the same.

1&2. Assumption
I’ve never given much thought to the process of making bread, I only ever considered that the process of making bread was difficult and I always avoided it like the plague. The most I knew about bread was the inclusion of yeast and not overkneading to avoid too much gluten production. So, while taking these courses I learned that not only is bread making not that difficult, but it has been central to Italian life for decades. Focaccia bread is similar in texture and style to pizza dough, similar to early flatbreads we studied in class. I had learned in the past that focaccia was meant to be made with rosemary, but I’ve learned that the most popular kind in Italy is simply salt and olive oil.

3. Chemical Analysis
Focaccia is made up of high-gluten flour, yeast, oil, water, and salt. Water before olive oil allows some gluten formation but not a lot. Similarly to pizza dough, the high gluten content allows the bread to create a strong gluten matrix when exposed to water and kneading. The process starts with proofing the yeast with sugar and warm water, allowing the yeast to undergo respiration and create ethanol and carbon dioxide. The strong gluten matrix of the focaccia dough traps the carbon dioxide within the bread, keeping it trapped within the bread and giving it its texture. When kneading the dough, the Hydrogen bonds holding the gluten matrix together break as the dough stretches; the spring back of the dough is caused by the hydrogens wanting to bond with the oxygens between the separate coils. Focaccia has a very high gluten content, and in order to prevent air bubbles on the surface, a common practice is puncturing the bread with the fingers to create wells. Also, to keep the moisture within the bread, it is covered with a liberal amount of olive oil. Its chewy, dense texture is a product of all of this.

4. Cultural Analysis
Focaccia has been around longer than pizza has in a form of flatbread. Historians believe that it was either founded with the Etruscans of North Central Italy prior to the Roman empire, or in Ancient Greece. In Ancient Rome, panis focacius was a flatbread cooked on the hearth, and the Italian term for the bread is derived from that. Historically, focaccia was an unleavened bread, allowing the right temperatures to rise it naturally. Focaccia is widely associated with Liguria, a region on the northeastern coast of Italy. As the tradition spread, focaccia recipes changed per town, some bearing no resemblance to the original flatbread. Initially, focaccia bread was common among the poorer communities (i.e. ancient Romans using it to feed slaves). Focaccia-style recipes can also be found in France (fouaisse) and Spain (pan de hogaza). It was most commonly used as a dipping bread or a utensil, but nowadays it can be used as a sandwich, served as an antipasto, or as a side to a meal. Outside of Italy, it is almost exclusively used as sandwich bread (which I am not complaining about).

 Rosemary focaccia.

5. Integration
We have talked a lot about breads in Eatalians, and I understand that focaccia came from the inability to eat much else. For a very long time, poor Italians depended on bread, since food was scarce and wheat was available. Focaccia, along with other breads, have stood the test of time, as has Italy as a country. No matter what hardships faced, the Italians powered through and have come out successful, bringing along their food and their culture with it. Bread started off as a poor food, and now it is as common as anything else. Like Italians, focaccia bread has survived, traveled all over the world, and prospered.