Ingredients for two focaccias:160 g plain white flour150 g whole wheat flour12 g brewer’s yeast100 g sheep’s milk ricotta120 g full fat milk (plus 2tbsp to brush on the surface)40 g butter50 g brown sugar (plus 2tbsp to sprinkle over the surface at the end)
In a small saucepan, over a very low heat, dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk, and then pour it into a bowl containing the two types of flower sifted together. Start mixing, adding the ricotta and sugar a little at a time. When the mixture becomes homogeneous, add the butter (melted and cooled down completely); continue kneading – if necessary adding a little white flour – until you have a smooth ball of dough. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for a couple of hours, protected from draughts, until it has doubled in size. Transfer the risen dough onto a pastry board sprinkled with a little flour and divide it in half; shape each half into an elongated, fairly flat loaf and lay them on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Use a sharp knife to cut slits in the surface of the dough and then leave the focaccias to rise for another hour. Brush with milk, sprinkle the sugar over them and bake in a preheated oven, at 180°C, for 20-25 minutes. Before slicing the focaccia, leave it on a rack to cool down a little. Serve it with fresh ricotta and jam (or Viallella or another chocolate spread)... “da leccarsi i baffi” (= lip-smacking good)!