Senatore Cappelli's Homemade Focaccia

Who doesn't love focaccia? If we make it at home, it's certainly much better, and if we make it with quality flours, rich in nutrients and perhaps ancient grains, it will have an even more intense flavor and aroma.

Varying the grains is important for a  Proper nutrition, not just when we traditionally eat "first courses" (pasta, rice, or whole grains), but also when we consume bread and focaccia. Unfortunately, most bread and focaccia in bakeries are made with soft wheat and, alas, refined flour, so every now and then, treat yourself to a delicious homemade focaccia , and not only will our taste buds be happy, but our entire body will be happy.

Below are two simple recipes, one a little quicker, the other requiring a longer leavening time for the sourdough starter. In both cases, the result is excellent (but the sourdough starter version, thanks to the leavening time, will yield a more digestible product). For the flour, I decided to use Senatore Cappelli semolina , a prized, ancient, non-genetically modified durum wheat with truly unique nutritional and organoleptic characteristics.

Version with sourdough starter

• 100g refreshed sourdough starter
• 250g Senatore Cappelli wholemeal semolina
• 250g Senatore Cappelli re-milled semolina
• 350ml of water
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 8g salt

Version with brewer's yeast

• 10g dry brewer's yeast
• 200g Senatore Cappelli wholemeal semolina
• 200g Senatore Cappelli re-milled semolina
• 280ml of water
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 8g salt

• In a bowl , dissolve the yeast (beer or starter) in a little water. The temperature should be around 25-26°C.
• Then add the flour and salt and knead for about 10 minutes. If you have a stand mixer, you can use that. The dough will be very soft; knead it vigorously, then turn it out onto a pastry board and let it rest, covered, for about 15-20 minutes. (During this time, the flour will naturally begin to form a gluten network, which will make it more elastic and easier to knead once you start working it.)
• After this time , knead gently and shape into a ball with your hands. Transfer the dough to a floured bowl and cover with a slightly damp cloth (the surface of the dough should not dry out). Let it rise for about 1 hour if using brewer's yeast, or 10 hours if using sourdough. During this time, the volume will have more than doubled.
• Once the time has passed, oil the bottom of a baking pan and delicately spread out the leavened dough, then leave to rest for another hour (an hour and a half with the sourdough starter) in a covered and sheltered place.
• Twenty minutes before the time is up , preheat the oven to 200°C .
• Season the focaccia as desired, with cherry tomatoes and Provençal herbs, rosemary, olives, a 1:1 water/oil brine, etc. If necessary, drizzle with more oil and bake in a conventional oven at 200°C for 20 minutes. Check the cooking and, if necessary, continue baking for another 5-10 minutes.
• Wait for it to cool a little so you can cut it better and enjoy the focaccia while it's still warm and crunchy... a real treat!

Even with brewer's yeast, you can obtain a highly digestible product simply by reducing the amount of brewer's yeast and letting it rise longer or using a biga... but we'll talk about this in another article.
In general, for a soft, well-leavened focaccia, I recommend using no more than 40-50% whole wheat flour. Although nutritionally superior, it makes the dough heavier. The suggested amount is a good compromise!