Home

Rosemary and Guanciale Focaccia

17/11/2023

I can suggest a delicious recipe for rosemary and guanciale focaccia, a rustic and tasty variant that can be served as an appetizer or side dish. Let’s look at the ingredients and the procedure together.

Ingredients

  • 500 g of type 00 flour
  • 300 ml of lukewarm water
  • 12 g of fresh brewer’s yeast (or 4 g of dry brewer’s yeast)
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 150 g of guanciale, cut into small cubes
  • Coarse salt to taste (optional)

For the guanciale: If you prefer, you can substitute the guanciale with pancetta, which will be easier to find in some parts of the world, even though the taste will be slightly different.

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water and let it rest for a few minutes until the yeast starts to bubble on the surface.
  2. Add the sifted flour, oil, and salt and start to knead until you get a smooth and homogenous dough.
  3. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and continue to knead for about 10 minutes, until you obtain an elastic dough.
  4. Form a ball with the dough and place it into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in volume.
  5. Meanwhile, in a pan, sauté the guanciale cubes until they become crispy and set them aside on paper towels to remove excess fat.
  6. Once the dough has risen, take it and divide it into pieces of about 80 g each. Roll out each piece into a focaccia about 1 cm high.
  7. Arrange the focaccia on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, brush them with a little oil and add a pinch of chopped rosemary and the sautéed guanciale cubes to each one.
  8. Let the focaccia rise for another 20-30 minutes while the oven heats up to 200 °C.
  9. Bake the focaccia for about 15-20 minutes, or until they take on a golden color.
  10. Optionally, you can sprinkle the focaccia with coarse salt before baking them for an extra touch of crunchiness and flavor.

Once cooked, your rosemary and guanciale focaccia will be ready to be served warm and fragrant.

Curiosity

Guanciale is a typical ingredient of Italian cuisine, especially in central Italy, such as in Lazio where it is used in classic dishes like pasta alla carbonara and amatriciana. These focaccia combine the tradition of scented bread with the savoriness of guanciale for a truly tasty result.