Focaccia

Focaccia, thought to be Italy's oldest bread, is a yeast-leavened flatbread made with white wheat flour and enriched with extra virgin olive oil. The bread can be simply flavoured with salt and herbs or a variety of other toppings may be added before baking, such as sautéed vegetables, garlic, olives, aubergine, chopped tomatoes, roasted red peppers and cheese. Traditional focaccia bread is baked on a hot stone in a wood-fired hearth to create a very flat loaf. However, many loaves are now quite thick due to the amount of ingredients stuffed into the core of the bread or used for toppings.

Once baked, focaccia may be cut into wedges like a cake and served as an appetiser or for dipping into olive oil. It can also be served with soup or salad, although some focaccia loaves are so stuffed with additional ingredients that they can easily become an entire meal on their own.