The Toppings You Should Avoid When Making Homemade Focaccia
Focaccia, a super fluffy Italian bread made with yeast and olive oil, is the perfect savory treat to bake at home, even if you're new to homemade breads. With just a few key ingredients, an afternoon, and a cast iron skillet, you can bake a beautifully crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside loaf that's perfect for building unique sandwiches, accompanying soup, or straight up snacking.
One of the best things about focaccia is that, while it's pretty delicious plain and lightly seasoned, you can really take it to the next level by incorporating fun toppings or even swapping your recipe's water for a flavorful alternative like marinara sauce. Still, even though focaccia is super customizable, some toppings might be better than others when it comes to preserving the texture and flavor of your bread.
To find out which ones to leave off your loaf, Chowhound spoke exclusively with chef Luca Corazzina, the chef de cuisine at OLIO E PIÙ, a vibrant Italian trattoria with locations in NYC, Chicago, and Washington D.C. "Avoid toppings that release too much moisture, like fresh tomatoes, unless they are lightly dried or marinated beforehand," he says. "Delicate herbs like basil or cilantro can lose their vibrancy in the oven, so they're best added after baking."
Alternative toppings and tips for perfect focaccia
With delicate herbs and wet ingredients like fresh tomatoes out of the equation, what are some of the best toppings to mix into your focaccia dough? There are lots of less moist veggies that fit well into the fluffy bread, including sliced olives, caramelized onions, and sun-dried tomatoes. When it comes to herbs, rosemary is a very popular choice for focaccia, especially because it bakes well. Thyme and sage are similarly good options, or opt to add fresh basil once the bread is done. And don't forget favorites like roasted garlic or Parmesan cheese. Sticking with a savory profile full of Italian flavors is sure to yield a delicious loaf.
You're not limited to the savory realm, however, nor to Italian staples. Once you've mastered the art of homemade focaccia, why not try experimenting with new combinations, like a sweet apple and cinnamon focaccia, or a mix of marinated stone fruits and hazelnuts? In Tuscany, there's a popular type of dessert focaccia studded with grapes known as schiacciata con l'uva. For a fun twist on the most important meal of the day, you could even try a breakfast focaccia made with eggs and bacon.
For greater ease both in baking and preserving your focaccia masterpiece, we have a couple of additional tips. If you don't feel like making dough from scratch, you can actually use store-bought pizza dough for foccacia for a nearly-identical taste and texture. Still have some left over at the end of your meal? Don't stress about staleness — simply freeze your focaccia in small portions, starting with a quick flash-freeze.