This decorated focaccia is no-knead, no-mixer dough that doesn't even require stretches and folds. Just five ingredients, zero fancy techniques, plus whatever herbs and veggies you want to add on top for your edible art!
The Decorated Focaccia That Looks Like a Painting (and Tastes Even Better)
After baking dozens of variations of focaccia (like my reader-favorite lemon blueberry focaccia), this one decorated with herbs & veggies might just be my favorite. I like to think of it as a totally legitimate excuse to play with my food as I arrange everything to look like a whimsical garden of flowers. Any time I make it for friends they ask me, "wait, did you actually make that?!" And honestly, is there any better compliment as a home baker?
For the decoration, I choose a colorful blend of vegetables and herbs that all go on before the focaccia hits the oven, so there's no fussing with add-ons halfway through or after baking. Just be sure to drizzle or brush everything with olive oil to prevent it from burning!
And I love that this loaf lets seasonal produce really shine. I've made a wildflower meadow scene in the summer with tomatoes & red onion. And I can't wait to make an autumn scene with halved figs and rosemary.
Let's Decorate & Bake Focaccia Together
For the full step-by-step directions, scroll down to the recipe card.
My Tips to Decorate Focaccia with Whatever's in Your Fridge
- Rosemary: If you're using rosemary, use sprigs with really thin, flexible stems, since no one wants to bite into a woody stem! You can also remove all the rosemary needles from the stem then arrange them on the dough, or swap in baby asparagus to create flower stems in your design.
- Other Herbs: Skip any fragile, thin herbs like parsley, oregano, basil, and chives which burn. I add these as extra garnish after my focaccia comes out of the oven.
- Tomatoes: I prefer keeping my grape or cherry tomatoes whole to prevent them from releasing too much moisture into the dough.
- Olives: For any oil-packed ingredients like olives or sundried tomatoes, pat them dry with a paper towel first.
- Onions: Red onions are my favorite to add a caramelized flavor, but any onion (including green onions) work great. Just don't slice them too thin, or they'll burn.
- Peppers: I love slicing peppers cross-wise to create flowers! Bell peppers are great for large flowers, while pepperoncini & jalapeno make cute small flowers.
Easy Decorated Focaccia Bread
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
Focaccia Dough
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1¾ cups warm water (between 105-115°F or 40-46°C)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
Decoration
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- Suggested Toppings: olives (patted dry), whole cherry or grape tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, orange or red bell pepper sliced cross-wise, fresh thin rosemary sprigs or young asparagus for flower stems
Instructions
Day One: Mix and Ferment the Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, sugar, and warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it's foamy on top. (If it's not foamy, your yeast might be expired.)
- Add the olive oil and stir it into the foamy yeast mixture.
- Add the flour and salt on top, and mix with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula until it forms a wet dough.
- Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap (to retain moisture so it doesn't dry out) and let it rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours (to jump start fermentation).
- Transfer the bowl to the fridge for 12-16 hours (for slow, cold fermentation).
Day Two: Proof, Decorate, and Bake
- Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or olive oil.
- Dump the dough from your mixing bowl onto the center of the baking dish. Use your fingers to gently press the dough into all the edges and corners of the baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 2-4 hours, until it's puffed up and jiggly on top when you shake the baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Generously coat your fingers in olive oil (don't skip this, or else the dough will stick all over your fingers!) Use your fingers to press dimples into the dough, pressing all the way to the bottom of the baking dish.
- Use fresh, thin rosemary sprigs, whole green onions, or young asparagus to form the flower stems. Then arrange the olives, whole cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced red onion, and sliced bell pepper to form the petals of different flowers. You can sprinkle a little cornstarch or chopped green onion in the center of each flower for more texture.
- Drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil over all the dough, herbs, and veggies.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown and puffed up. Cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- I recommend getting all your toppings washed, dried, sliced and arranged on your counter so you can easily & quickly transfer them to avoid having to move them around once they've been placed on the sticky dough.
- Arrange your flower petals tightly together, since they'll spread out a bit as the bread expands in the oven.
- Since it's topped with veggies, I store my cooled bread in the fridge, then reheat squares in the microwave or over the toaster.
Nutrition
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