One of the simple pleasures in life is biting into a freshly baked piece of bread and feeling its soft, warm, delicious embrace in your mouth. Although all bread is delicious, one of our favorite styles is the Italian flatbread, the focaccia, because of how simple and versatile it is. These 4 focaccia recipes aren’t your standard, white bread versions, though. We’re borrowing the method used to make upside-down cakes and arranging decorative, delicious toppings straight on the baking tray, pressing the yeast dough on top, adding a layer of gooey cheese, and baking each focaccia to golden-brown perfection. The only thing flat about these tasty bread creations is their shape!
Yield: 1 per recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Homemade Yeast Dough
You’ll Need:
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ cups lukewarm water
Here’s How:
For the yeast dough, start by putting the flour in a large mixing bowl and making a deep well in the center. Add the sugar and dry yeast to the center of the well and sprinkle the salt around its edge. Stir together the lukewarm water and olive oil and pour the mixture into the well. Knead the ingredients together by hand until a smooth dough forms. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour.
1. Pepperoni & Thyme Focaccia
You’ll Need:
- olive oil
- 18 slices of pepperoni
- 10 sprigs of thyme
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Here’s How:
1.1 Once the yeast dough has risen, divide it into 2 halves and roll out each half into a large rectangle approximately the size of a 10 x 15-inch baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over the entire surface of the baking tray and arrange the pepperoni slices in groups of 3 on the baking tray. Complete the design by placing the springs of thyme between the clusters of pepperoni.
1.2 Place one of the rolled-out pieces of dough on top of the pepperoni layer and brush olive oil evenly over its surface.
1.3 Sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of the layer of dough.
1.4 Place the second piece of rolled-out dough on top of the mozzarella layer and let it rise for 20 minutes.
1.5 Once the yeast dough has risen, preheat the oven to 400°F. Brush olive oil over the second layer of dough and press your fingers into its surface to make small indentations.
1.6 Transfer the baking tray to the oven and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven, let it cool, and flip it over so that the slices of pepperoni are on top. Now your cheese-stuffed pepperoni & thyme focaccia is ready to be served!
2. Hawaiian Focaccia
You’ll Need:
- olive oil
- 4–5 slices of pineapple
- 4–5 slices of ham
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- round cookie cutter
Here’s How:
2.1 Once the yeast dough has risen, divide it into 2 halves and roll out each half into a large rectangle approximately the size of a 10 x 15-inch baking tray. Slice the pineapple thinly and use a round cookie cutter to cut the slices of ham into donut-shaped pieces. Drizzle olive oil over the entire surface of the baking tray and arrange 4–5 pieces of both the sliced pineapple and circular ham on its surface.
2.2 Repeat the layering and baking processes shown in the recipe for the pepperoni & thyme focaccia and dig in!
3. Mediterranean Veggie Focaccia
You’ll Need:
- olive oil
- red, green & yellow bell pepper slices
- black olives, sliced
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Here’s How:
3.1 Once the yeast dough has risen, divide it into 2 halves and roll out each half into a large rectangle approximately the size of a 10 x 15-inch baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over the entire surface of the baking tray and arrange the red, green & yellow bell pepper slices and sliced black olives on its surface.
3.2 Repeat the layering and baking processes shown in the recipe for the pepperoni & thyme focaccia. Delicious!
4. Bacon & Asparagus Focaccia
You’ll Need:
- olive oil
- 8 spears of green asparagus
- 5 oz bacon, fried & cubed
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
Here’s How:
4.1 Once the yeast dough has risen, divide it into 2 halves and roll out each half into a large rectangle approximately the size of a 10 x 15-inch baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over the entire surface of the baking tray, arrange the spears of green asparagus vertically, and place the fried bacon cubes around the tops of the asparagus spears like treetops or flower petals.
4.2 Repeat the layering and baking processes shown in the recipe for the pepperoni & thyme focaccia. Take this bacon & asparagus focaccia out of the oven and it’s ready to serve!
These 4 stuffed focaccia breads are delicious, savory comfort food treats that both look and taste great. Feel free to get creative and make your own designs or customize the ingredients to fit your taste, and have fun creating your own focaccia masterpieces!
Get the recipe for the Delicious Party Platter Sandwiches featured in the bonus video.