The Focaccia di Susa flatbread is a typical baked product of the Susa Valley with ingredients here given in order of decreasing quantity: soft, all-purpose flour, butter, sugar, eggs, salt and brewer's yeast. It appears like a flat round piece of sweet bread. It is covered on the surface with caramelised sugar.
How it is made
Production starts with the mixing of eggs with butter and sugar. When a smooth and fluffy texture is reached, the other ingredients are added, last of which is brewer's yeast.
The composition is mixed with a kneader and left to rise, according to the seasons, for 3-4 hours. The dough is divided into balls of dough, which are roll pined into a flat round shape (with diameter ranging from 28 to 50 cm) up to when a thickness of 1.5-2 cm is reached. The flat dough is left to rest for an hour and a half. Then the edges are raised manually and flatbread is sprinkled with granulated sugar. Lastly, the surface is perforated, to prevent bubbles from forming.
At times the surface of the flatbread is decorated with designs, the most common of which are a star, heart, dove or horse shoe, according to the occasions. For the feast of the Epiphany, a broad bean is put in the dough as in the Fogassa dla Befana cake.
When these operations have ended, the flatbread is baked at high temperatures to allow the sugar to caramelise.
History
The origins are definitely old and come from the working methods of bakers who, from the middle ages, have slowly introduced new ingredients: eggs and butter with an addition of honey and then some sugar. The quality of the butter and sugar increased after the Second World War with the introduction of flour from North America, making it easier to work on.
The traditional focaccia (flat bread) from Susa can be seen in a handwritten recipe by a famous baker in 1870.
