Pesto Focaccia
Bread + pesto + cheese. Three of my favorite foods in one recipe- does it get any better? This skillet pesto focaccia has been doing the rounds lately here after pulling the last of the basil from the Autumn garden and having an abundance of pesto in the fridge. Try it alongside a bowl of your fave homemade soup!
Another week, another bread recipe! I swear, Autumn always brings out the baker in me. There is something about hunkering down at home once the weather cools and just pottering around the kitchen, cooking heartwarming food.
I taught O how to make pesto a few weeks ago, so we have had an abundance of it in the fridge. However, while this family does not need an excuse for more pesto in our lives, I’ve been loving throwing it into dishes, wherever I can. Pesto is, after all, the besto, right?!
Here’s why you’ll love this recipe
You don’t need to make the pesto from scratch! We don’t judge here 😉 While I make pesto at certain times of the year, you’ll nearly always find a jar of my favorite pesto in our fridge.
The whole family will love it! It’s perfect as a side for soup, pasta, or alongside a weekend BBQ.
You can prep it a day ahead. For us time-poor Mums who can’t live without their freshly baked Sunday bread, this one’s for you!
Ingredients
- Bread Flour – skip the all-purpose flour for this one. Bread flour is stronger and a better option for focaccia recipes.
- Instant dry yeast. It doesn’t need to be activated and can be added to the mixing bowl with the other dry ingredients. If you are using
- Sea Salt Flakes Murray River or Maldon are my salt flakes that I use.
- Lukewarm water
- Extra virgin Olive oil
- Butter (for greasing the skillet)
- Pesto sauce (homemade or store-bought works perfectly too!)
- Grated parmesan cheese – My go-to is grana padano or regiano.
Substitutions & Variations
Swap out a basil pesto for a different flavor. Sun-dried tomato, arugula, roasted red pepper, or even an artichoke or miso pesto could all be used for a different take on this focaccia recipe.
Instead of parmesan, try a vintage cheddar for that crusty topping.
Add some of your favorite toppings to the top of the dough before salting. Cherry tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, slices of red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, and pitted kalamata olives are all great additions.
Steps to make a cracking pesto focaccia
- Mix the Dough in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- First Rise. Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature.
- Add the pesto to the dough and fold.
- Prepare the skillet for the focaccia.
- Second Rise.
- Dimple your focaccia dough and add toppings.
- Bake in the oven til golden brown.
Equipment
A stand mixer fitted with the large mixing bowl and dough hook – I use my KitchenAid KSM7950. It’s a beast when making bread! You’ll also need measuring tools (spoons, digital scale), a spatula, and a clean tea towel.
I bake my focaccia in either my Le Creuset 29cm enamel cast iron roasting dish (for a shallow focaccia) or my trusty 26cm cast iron skillet.
Cooks notes
Cold proofing: You can let the dough slow rise overnight in the fridge for even more flavor. Just bring it to room temperature before baking.
Because this is a high-hydration dough (wet dough), you’ll find that it’s really sticky to work with. Before dimpling your dough, rub a tablespoon of olive oil between your fingers – it will prevent the dough from sticking to you!
Let’s serve it up!
While I can totally eat this pesto focaccia all on its own, here are a few ideas to serve it up…
With a hearty, homemade pumpkin soup or minestrone on a cold winter’s day.
Slice in half horizontally and stuff with mozzarella and roasted veggies for a cracking grilled panini.
Did I say slathered with cold butter?
As a side to a delicious pasta dish, this chicken boscaiola matches like a dream!
I made some leftovers into croutons last week to go in a pesto chicken Caesar salad, which worked a treat and tasted SO good!
FAQ’s
Storage
Homemade focaccia bread keeps well for a couple of days, though the texture is best on day one. Store in an airtight container. Reheat slices in a toaster oven or pan for a bit of crispness. You can also freeze focaccia—wrap it tightly.
If you want to make it ahead, you can prepare the dough and let it rise overnight in the fridge. Just let it come to room temperature before baking.
Here are a few more bread recipes you might like
- Irish Guinness Bread
- Dutch Oven Bread (Hunter’s Bread!)
- Super Easy Porridge Bread
- Bacon and Cheese Skillet Rolls
Happy baking!
x
Pesto Focaccia
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Resting time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf of focaccia
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This skillet pesto focaccia has been doing the rounds lately here after pulling the last of the basil from the Summer garden and having an abundance of pesto in the fridge. Try it alongside a bowl of your fave homemade soup!
Ingredients
The Dough
- 600g bread flour
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 15 grams sea salt flakes
- 10g dried instant yeast
- 500g lukewarm water
- ¼ c pesto
Topping
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp sea salt flakes for sprinkling
- ¼ c grated parmesan, Reggiano or grana padano
Instructions
- Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the warm water and olive oil. Turn onto speed one and mix until all the ingredients are combined and a sticky dough forms. Increase the speed to 2 and knead the dough for 10 minutes.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap so it is lightly sitting on top if the dough to stop a film from forming. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1–2 hours, until doubled in size and bubbly.
- Place your dough on a flat surface (I use a Silpat cooking mat or prove my dough in a rectangular plastic container to make this step easier). Because it is a sticky dough, it will spread a little. Spread a thin layer of pesto over the focaccia dough, and then fold one side into the center. Repeat with the opposite end, folding the dough on top of itself. Hopefully, by now, you should see very little pesto – it should be tucked up inside the dough.
- Generously butter the inside of an enamel cast iron pan (I use my old faithful 26cm Le Creuset skillet for this).
- Transfer the bread dough to the pan and gently stretch it to fit. Let it rest for another 45–60 minutes in a warm place, loosely covered with parchment paper and a tea towel on top.
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/390°F.
- Drizzle olive oil over the dough and use your fingers to press deep dimples all over. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and grated Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until deep golden brown with a crispy crust all over. Let cool slightly on a wire rack before slicing.
Notes
I bake my pesto focaccia in my 26cm enamel cast iron skillet. To make sure it comes out cleanly, brush the inside of the pan with butter before adding the dough.
Short on time? Prep ahead by doing the first proove overnight in the fridge (steps 1 & 2). The pick up the next day at step 3.
When working with the dough, rub a little olive oil on your fingers to prevent the dough for sticking to your hands.
Please note all recipes on this website are in US measurements. Eg, 1 cup / 240ml, 1 tablespoon/15mls. Oven temperatures refer to a fan-forced oven.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 382
- Sugar: 0.4 g
- Sodium: 1702.3 mg
- Fat: 12.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 55.4 g
- Protein: 11.1 g
- Cholesterol: 3.3 mg
