Focaccia di Recco is a rustic Italian flatbread stuffed with cheese. As per legend, this dish was created by the citizens of Recco when there were in hiding with whatever basic ingredients available on hand.
With change and adaptation, we find this in every bakery as thin focaccia filled with melty cheese and rolled out as thin as possible. While the shape can be round or rectangle, the important factor is the dough must stretch as thin as possible.
This flatbread is mostly done with bread flour, while we can easily make it with all purpose flour as well. So during my weekend marathon when I had to make pizzas as well for the kids, I decided I would do one portion like this. It was really super hit as the flatbread is thin and tends to be crispy.
I adapted this from here and the recipe gives you 3 to 4 focacce as per the recipe. The original cheese used stracchino or Crescenza cheese, I simply replaced it with a mix of Mozzarella, Pizza Cheese, and Cheddar. I baked and cooked on tawa as well. The measurement given below will make 3 to 4 numbers.
Focaccia di Recco was my choice for F in the A to Z International Flatbreads. If you are interested to know what's F for Street Food, Check my other space.
In A to Z International Flatbreads
A for Afghan Flatbread
B for Bale Hannina Chapathi
C Cascioni Romganoli
D for Dhal Puri
E for Emirati Khameer Bread
Step by Step Pictures for making Focaccia di Recco
Focaccia di Recco
Ingredients Needed:
3 cups All Purpose Flour / Bread flour
3/4 cup Water
1/2 cup Olive oil plus more for greasing and drizzling
2 tsp salt plus more for sprinkling
1 /2 cup Mozzarella
1 /2 cup Pizza Cheese
1/ 4 cup Cheddar
How to make Focaccia di Recco
In a bowl, take the flour, salt, olive oil, and combine well.
Slowly add water to the bowl and knead to a soft dough. Continue kneading for 10 more minutes and let it rest. When you poke, the dough should bounce back. Wrap in cling film and let it rest for 2 to 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 210 C, and grease a baking sheet or a round pizza tray with olive oil.
Divide the dough into 4 even pieces. When you are rolling one piece, keep the rest covered.
Roll out the dough ball using a rolling pin on a floured surface. Then start stretching it carefully with your hands.
Like this roll out another ball to the same size.
Place the grated cheese on one disc and completely cover the second one over this. Seal on sides well so that the cheese doesn’t ooze out.
Prick on top for the steam to escape. Drizzle the top with a bit of oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake for 7 minutes, until lightly golden brown and the cheese, has melted.
Continue with the rest like the above and serve right away.
I even cooked this on the griddle and it came out very well!
Focaccia di Recco
Ingredients
- 3 cups All purpose flour / Bread flour
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Olive oil plus more for greasing and drizzling
- 2 tsp Salt plus more for sprinkling
- 1 /2 cup Mozzarella
- 1 /2 cup Pizza Cheese
- 1/ 4 cup Cheddar
Instructions
- In a bowl, take the flour, salt, olive oil, and combine well.
- Slowly add water to the bowl and knead to a soft dough. Continue kneading for 10 more minutes and let it rest. When you poke, the dough should bounce back. Wrap in cligfilm and let it rest for 2 to 3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 210 C, and grease a baking sheet or a round pizza tray with olive oil.
- Divide the dough into 4 even pieces. When you are rolling one piece, keep the rest covered.
- Roll out the dough ball using a rolling pin on a floured surface. Then start stretching it carefully with your hands.
- Like this roll out another ball to the same size.
- Place the grated cheese on one disc and completely cover the second one over this. Seal on sides well so that the cheese doesn’t ooze out.
- Prick on top for the steam to escape. Drizzle the top with a bit of oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake for 7 minutes, until lightly golden brown and the cheese has melted.
- Continue with the rest like the above and serve right away.
- I even cooked this on the griddle and it came out very well!
[inlinkz_linkup id=760127 mode=1]
manjulabharathkumar2016 says
Focaccia do recco sounds a wonderful choice for flatbreads, These cheese filled flatbreads so perfectly made . I am loving your choices of breads valli, already getting jitters thinking about september marathon you have already put so much effort to make this theme fantastic !!
Priya Suresh says
With those three cheeses went in it, this ultimate flatbreads will definitely brings some smile on my children's face. We are cheese loving family and this Focaccia will surely please them.
Sandhiya says
Those cheesy stuffing sounds delicious and love the fact that it can be cooked on stove top too. Will give it a try on sometime.
Pavani says
I can see my son gobbling this cheesy flatbread up in no time. He loves this time of dishes that are cheesy and easy to eat without any side dishes. I’ll make this for him some time.
Vaishali Sabnani says
The Cheese bread looks excellent with all that cheese going in there..something like our cheese paratha. All kids would be happy to eat this kind of bread. Quick and simple , yet sinful.
Harini says
Super cheesy. Looks like a cousin of cheese paratha 🙂 I am sure the kids would love this and my pizza loving husband too.
Sharmila - The Happie Friends Potpourri Corner says
Stove topped focaccia sound so good. This will be definitely in my to do list now!!
Gayathri Kumar says
I was expecting a bread which resembled focaccia, but this one looks so different. Filled with cheese and rolled thin this looks like cheese paratha and sounds absolutely fabulous..
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
What an exciting Flatbread this is. Looks like an Italian cousin of quesadilla. Love the 3 different cheese that is going into the focaccia.
srividhya says
I second Sandhya R. That's what I thought too. If I give this to vaandu, he would wipe the plate clean in no time.
Padmajha PJ says
For a minute I thought it was cheese chapathi when I looked at the click without reading the recipe! I second Manjula's thoughts, wonder what we will do for september!!
cookingwithsapana says
That is a very interesting version of focccia flatbread and I am amazed how you find such interesting recipes.
Priya Srinivasan says
wow superb valli, what a great choice, never seen this thin and cheesy foccacia!!! i m bookmarking this right away!! you have done lots of research valli, loving your flatbread varieties!!!!
kalyani says
very nice ! chillies and cheese inside a chapati-lookalike ! awesome pick
Mayuri Patel says
Much like the cheese parathas we make but interesting fact is the 3 different types of cheese you have used. Its interesting to discover so many different types of flatbreads Srivalli.
Simply Tadka says
Three types of cheese in a bread... awesome treat for every cheese lover... so tempting.
Suma Gandlur says
These sound like cheese filled rotis and make a great kid friendly dish.