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Artistic and Flavorful Focaccia Topping
Focaccia is such a fun bread to make. The fermentation doesn’t have to be precise (lean on the side of “over” if erring) and the dough shaping is squishy-fun. Moreover, focaccia offers you a canvas for artistic expression with toppings. Of course, sometimes just salt and olive oil are what you want, but other times you can let your imagination run wild and create a beautiful showpiece with flavorful herbs and vegetables baked into the top of the bread. A good source for inspiration is a focaccia art search on Pinterest where you might see a Van Gogh painting reproduction, a Paris scene with the Eiffel Tower, and many colorful gardens.
For the dough and process, try Breadtopia’s recipe for focaccia with yeast or sourdough as a springboard from which you can experiment with the amount of whole wheat flour and substitute in different wheat varieties. For example, the dough in the video below is 75% bread flour and 25% red fife whole grain flour.
When picking toppings, think about whether you want sweet or savory (most focaccia is savory but dessert focaccia is a thing), flavor quantities and combinations (acid, fat, salt, sweet, herbal aromas), plans for the bread (sandwiches, dipping), how long you want the focaccia to stay fresh (juicy toppings should be eaten sooner), and finally what you want the focaccia to look like. You can lay out the toppings randomly, in patterns, or as pictoral depictions such as landscapes, bouquets, faces, words, etc.
Sage, mushrooms, and kalamata olives
If you plan to try a complicated decoration for the first time, you can sketch out ideas on a sheet of paper or even lay the toppings on a cutting board like I did above. Keep in mind that once baked, there will be less contrast between the bread and the toppings, though Breadtopia community member Yvonne Coyle offered the tip that covering the focaccia helps keep the toppings colorful. Below are some before and after baking photos (no cover).
Non-exhaustive list of possible toppings (option to pre-cook)
Tomatoes
Olives
Potatoes (sliced thin)
Onions
Garlic
Scallions or chives
Mushrooms
Eggplant, zucchini, squash
Bell pepper
Herbs: rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, oregano
Seeds: sesame, nigella, hemp
Spices and blends: za’atar, everything bagel spice, ground allepo pepper, red pepper flake
Fresh berries, figs, apricot, plum, apple
Pecans, walnuts, sliced almonds
Dried fruit
Chocolate
Honey
Artistic and Flavorful Focaccia Topping