This Stuffed Focaccia is a snack, an instant sandwich or a meal baked in a simple, yet deeply flavored to make bread. Make ahead steps allow you to bake this when you're ready. Wet ingredients go into dry ingredients, mix, let rise and you're ready to fill and bake - or pop the dough into the fridge for up to three days before stuffing it.
Almost anything can be used for the stuffing as long as it is not wet. Roasted vegetables are a favorite because they can be taken on picnics, bicycle trips, hikes or trips and not spoil as can meat stuffings.
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Why this Stuffed Focaccia works
The original recipe for Stuffed Focaccia came from the The Great British Bake Off Big Book of Baking.
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I like to use bread flour with yeast because it has the strength to retain the heights to which the dough can rise. All-purpose flour can be used, it just may not rise quite as high.
Be sure when mixing the dry ingredients together you don’t pour the salt directly on top of the yeast. Salt is one of the few things that can kill yeast. I have recently read posts that contradict this but, since it so easy, I stay with the separate is best rule.
One of the things I’ve noticed when mixing lean yeast doughs in my stand mixer is that the very top of the dough often doesn't get mixed well. So, I stop beating half way through and turn the dough upside down so the top is on the bottom and all gets mixed equally.
This dough is amazingly soft and pliable. It’s wonderful to work with. When it is completely mixed, it will clean the sides and bottom of the bowl.
While it can be used immediately after it has risen at room temperature, the flavor is better if it is refrigerated overnight or up to 3 days.
The Vegetables
Cut the vegetables a bit larger than you want them when roasted. They will shrink when roasting because the water will be drawn out concentrating the flavor.
When roasting a lot of different veggies at once on a sheet tray, don’t mix them. Line them up so that if one vegetable gets done first, it can be removed without getting mushy or overdone. The rest can then be returned to the oven and finished.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to the vegetables used. This stuffed focaccia uses red and yellow peppers, red onions, tomatoes, marinated artichokes, calamata olives, pepperoncini, and feta – decidedly Greek.
Zippy Garlic Oil
I almost always have a small jar of this in my fridge. It’s a quick flavor enhancer to many things, meat, poultry, vegetables, garlic bread – just about anything.
It’s a simple oil to make, olive oil or canola oil, smashed garlic cloves and hot red pepper flakes simmered for at least 5 minutes, then cooled. Sounds simple enough and it is. However, the garlic needs to be removed after about an hour. The oil should not be stored in the fridge with the garlic in it due to the possibility of botulism forming from the garlic. But if the garlic is heated to at least 140°F and the garlic is removed, it should be fine. Alternatively, make it as you need it.
Choice of Filling
Fillings for Stuffed Focaccia are what you like. Just don’t use really wet ingredients. I’m not keen on meat because of it’s obvious need to be refrigerated after a few hours. But it is strictly up to you.
For instance, it would be easy to do a southwestern stuffed focaccia using roasted peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, red onions, drained salsa so only the solids remain, and hot pepperjack cheese. How good does that sound?
Cheese is used not only as a great flavor addition but it helps to bind the ingredients together.
While this sounds like it has a lot of moving parts, almost all of it can be done ahead,making the final assembly quick and easy.
The focaccia is also great by itself as a bread with no stuffing.
Recipe Ingredients
Focaccia Dough
Ingredients read left to right.
FRONT ROW: Yeast, olive oil, salt
BACK ROW: Bread flour, water
Vegetable filling ingredients
Ingredients read left to right.
FRONT ROW: Salt, pepper
SECOND ROW: Olive oil, calamata olives, pepperoncini
THIRD ROW: Roma tomatoes, feta cheese, marinated artichokes
BACK ROW: Red onion, yellow pepper, red pepper
Zippy Olive Oil
COUNTERCLOCKWISE: Hot pepper flakes, olive or canola oil, garlic cloves
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Step by Step Instructions
Focaccia Dough
Step 1. Mix the water and flour in the bowl of a mixer. Step 2. Add the yeast, salt and, olive oil. Step 3. Beat on low until the dough comes together, then raise to medium and beat until the dough is smooth and cleans the bowl. Step 4. Place the dough in a container sprayed with a non-stick baking release, cover it with film, place the lid on and mark the time.
Step 5. Divide the dough in half and place half in the bottom of a sprayed baking dish. Push it out to cover the bottom and extend up the sides. Step 6. Layer the filling in. Step 7. Roll the second piece of dough out to about 10x10 inches. Place it on top and tuck the sides underneath by pulling the under dough toward you while slipping the top dough down the side. Step 8. The focaccia has risen and is ready to bake.
Step 9. After the dough has risen, dimple it deeply by pressing your finger tips down the legnth of the dough. Brush heavily with olive oil. Step 10. Bake the focaccia until deeply browned.
Recipe FAQs
Not much. Focaccia has a lighter, fluffier texture than a traditional pizza dough and is more closely resembles leavened bread.
The dimples give the dough texture and keeps it rising too much in the oven. They also hold the olive oil and encase it in the dough.
The best focaccia is made with high-protein bread flour but all-purpose will work also.
A Few Other Breads to Tempt you
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Stuffed Focaccia
Ingredients
Focaccia
- 3 ½ cups bread flour (490 grams or 19 ¼ ounces)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ¼ cup water
Zippy Garlic Oil
- ⅓ cup olive or canola oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 large garlic cloves, very coarsely chopped
Greek Stuffed Focaccia
- 1 Red pepper
- 1 Yellow Pepper
- 1 Red Onion
- Olive or Canola oil
- 2 Roma tomatoes (or 3)
- 7 ounce jar Marinated Artichokes
- Calamata Olives
- Pepperoncini
- 6 ounces Feta Cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Focaccia
- Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix it briefly to combine.
- Add the water and oil and mix until it comes together. Then beat on medium for about 2 minutes.
- Stop mixing, remove the dough and turn it upside down. Beat for another 2 minutes.
- Remove from bowl and knead about 10 times to make a smooth ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for about 2 to 2 ½ hours or until doubled. The dough can be place in a turned off oven with the light on. check the temperature of the oven after about 30 minutes so it is about 75° t0 85°F.
- It can be used immediately or deflate it and place in the refrigerator, covered, overnight or up to 3 days.
Zippy Garlic Oil
- In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients.
- Heat everything on low until it comes to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes. The oil need to be at least 140°F and the garlic is medium brown.
- Remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour. Strain out the solids and use only the remaining oil. This may be made days before and refrigerated.
Ingredient Prep
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil
- Cut the red and yellow peppers into strips. Add a bit of oil in a bowl, place the peppers in the bowl and toss them. Arrange the peppers on the foil in a single layer.
- Cut the onion into quarter moons, break apart, toss in oil and add to the baking sheet.
- Roast for about 20 minutes until somewhat softened or until they are roasted as you wish. Remove the peppers if the onions aren’t done. Cool everything.
- Slice the feta or crumble it. Set Aside.
Assembly
- Juice the tomatoes by cutting the tops off. Turn the tomato upside down and squeeze the liquid out of it.
- Slice the tomatoes and set aside.
- Cut the olives in half and pat the pepperoncini dry before removing the dough from the refrigerator.
- Spray a 9x9x2 inch pan with a non-stick baking spray and set aside.
- Cut the focaccia dough in half (about 410 grams or 14 ⅓ ounces) without kneading it. On a floured surface pat, press or roll half of it and place it into the prepared pan. If it keeps springing back, cover it and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Stretch it out with your fingers to fill the pan.
- Cover with half the cheese.
- Add the roasted veggies and then the remainder of the cheese.
- Without kneading pat, press or roll the second piece of dough into a 10x10 inch square. If the dough is very springy, cover it and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
- Wet the edges of the bottom piece of dough with water.
- Place the top piece of dough over the ingredients.
- Pull the bottom sides of the focaccia in
- and tuck the top piece of dough underneath the bottom.
- Press down on the edges to seal them.
- Cover and allow to rise for about 1 ½ hours in a warm place until it just comes over the top.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Dimple the dough deeply with your fingers. Brush liberally with the zippy garlic oil.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and the sides are also browned. Tent the top if it is browning too quickly. As soon as it is removed from the oven brush again with the garlic oil.
- Cut as desired and serve warm or at room temperature.
Make Ahead
- The bread dough can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. The zippy garlic oil can be made a week before if refrigerated. The day before the cheese can be sliced, the vegetables can be roasted and the olives chopped or halved. Cover and refrigerate.
- The bread can also be baked completely, cooled, wrapped well, and refrigerated for a day or two. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wrap the stuffed focaccia in in foil, leaving an opening at top and heat for 20 minutes or so until warmed through.
Notes
Nutrition
ksio4ka says
Thank you very much for the recipe. It is great. The dough is soft and very tasty, for sure can be used without vegetables for ordinary focaccia. I have changed the vegetables, because I used ones I had (red pepper, red onion, and eggplant), also I added bacon and Gouda cheese. It was delicious!
Helen S Fletcher says
I think that is the most exciting thing about baking.....especially something like Stuffed Focaccia. Whatever your preference or whatever you have on hand can be used.
Yours sounds wonderful.
Irene Peek says
Hi Helen! I’m making this now—sounds terrific— but wonder if I missed it or you forgot to put where to add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the dough part of the instructions. Add it with the water? Please forgive me if I’ve missed it. Thanks. Love the new look to your blog!
Helen S Fletcher says
Hi Irene, thanks for the catch. Yes, add it with the water. I fixed the instructions. Happy you like the new look.
Irene Peek says
Thanks Helen. I made the dough yesterday and will bake it later this afternoon. It’s a beautiful, easy to work with dough. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I might cheat and not make it “stuffed”. I may just put the roasted vegetables and cheese on top of the dough and bake it with out a lid. That way, I’ll get two focaccia. We’ll see.