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When I taste-tested olives for the food filter column a few months ago, it reminded me that the brine is an ingredient in its own right. This intensely savoury liquid adds umami depth to whatever it touches, and, beyond seasoning soups and stews, it can also be used to make salamoia, the aromatic brine that’s traditionally used to top focaccia and create that perfect salty crust.
Olive brine focaccia
Pouring olive brine down the sink is like washing pure flavour down the drain. Instead, save it to supercharge your focaccia, creating a beautifully flavoured, salted crust that elevates an ordinary loaf into something extraordinary. While I’m partial to rosemary and olives as toppings, this focaccia delivers heaps of flavour even when kept completely plain and simple.
Taking inspiration from both Giorgio Locatelli and Solmaz Saberi, who makes an incredible tomato soup focaccia on Substack, I’ve come up with this recipe with a simplified method and a high-hydration dough (around 80-85%) that creates a light and fluffy focaccia even with the addition of a little wholemeal flour.
While I adore the occasional treat of fluffy white bread, as a wholefood recipe writer I’m always exploring where wholemeal flour can be included to add nutrition and depth of flavour. A ratio of about 15-20% wholemeal flour mixed with majority white flour works beautifully here.
For the salamoia
30ml olive brine, at room temperature (or water mixed with a tablespoon of sea salt)
30ml extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky salt, to finish (optional)
For the dough
500g flour (eg, all-purpose, strong white flour; if you like, substitute 15-20% of it with wholemeal flour)
5g dried yeast
1 tbsp sugar, or honey
5g fine sea salt
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Optional toppings
Rosemary leaves
Pitted olives
Put the olive brine and extra-virgin olive oil in a small bowl and whisk until emulsified.
Mix the flour with 425ml warm water (if you have any leftover brine in need of using up, use that instead of some of the warm water), then stir in the sugar, sea salt and extra-virgin olive oil. Knead until evenly mixed, then cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove for 20 minutes.
Fold the dough into a neat round by pulling up each corner and folding it over into the centre, so tensioning the surface of the dough, then tip fold side down on to a well-oiled 23cm baking tray. Rub the surface with a little olive oil, then press out the dough with your fingertips, so it fills the tray. Cover again with a damp cloth and leave for about an hour, until doubled in size.
Scatter the optional rosemary leaves and pitted olives to taste over the top, then use oiled fingertips to press dimples all over the top of the dough. Evenly drizzle over the salamoia, leave for 20 minutes while the oven heats up to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, then bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
