Focaccia col Formaggio (di Recco)
a crispy, cheese-filled flatbread from Liguria
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This is one of those recipes I’ve been wanting to make (and eat!) for a while now. I’ve watched countless videos of focaccia col formaggio (also called focaccia di Recco) on YouTube, and every time I see that golden, cheese-stuffed flatbread come out of the oven, I start drooling.
My hesitation was in getting the proper cheese. Traditional focaccia di Recco uses stracchino, also called as Crescenza, a creamy, tangy cheese from Liguria. It’s delicious but not exactly easy to find in most grocery stores near me. And I wasn’t about to special order a block of cheese just to satisfy my curiosity.
So, this version is a bit of a mash-up. I wanted to use cheeses you can actually find in most grocery stores: something creamy and something some flavor. I went with Laughing Cow for the soft, spreadable base and added some Fontina in for flavor. You could also try Taleggio, Camembert, or any other melty cheese you like. The goal is a rich, creamy, gooey layer with a bit of tang and flavor.
Focaccia col formaggio is more like a cheese-stuffed cracker than a traditional focaccia. There’s no yeast, so no rise time. But, you do need to let it rest for an hour to relax before being stretched paper-thin. It bakes up crispy and golden, with lots of cheese in every bite.
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Ingredients
For the Dough:
250 g 00 flour or all-purpose flour
1 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
150 g water
2 tbsp olive oil plus plenty more to coat pan and drizzle onto foccacia before baking
3 wedges (2.7oz) Laughing Cow Spreadable Cheese
4 oz fontina cubed
flaky salt to finish
Equipment
Baking Tray either 9x13" (makes two focaccias) or 13x18" (makes one)
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix the flour, honey, salt, water, and olive oil until a shaggy dough forms. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed.
Divide the dough into four equal portions (or two, if you’re making one large focaccia). Cover with a bowl or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour. This helps the gluten relax so it’s easier to stretch.
Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C).
Line the bottom of your baking pan with parchment paper and coat it generously with olive oil. Leave the top rim of the tray dry—this helps the dough cling to the edges during shaping.
Take one portion of dough and stretch or roll it out until it’s very thin and large enough to drape over the pan with a bit of overhang. Lay it over the prepared tray.
Dot the surface with half of the Laughing Cow cheese and half of the Fontina cubes.
Roll out a second piece of dough, again thin and slightly larger than the tray. Gently stretch it over the cheese layer, letting it hang over the edges. Press the edges firmly into the sides of the tray to seal. You can use a rolling pin or knife to trim off the excess dough.
Gently press the dough together around the cheese with your fingertips and tear a few small holes in the top layer to let steam escape as it bakes. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the top is golden and crisp in spots. Serve hot! It’s best fresh from the oven when the cheese is gooey and the crust is crisp.
Repeat the process for the second focaccia if using two pans.
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