This garlic and cheese focaccia is fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and packed with cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, and freshly minced garlic. No kneading, no stand mixer, no obscure ingredients, just delicious bread with minimal hands-on effort.
The Cheese-Stuffed Focaccia I Make Every Month
Focaccia is basically my love language, so I wanted to make a version packed with cheese. While a lot of recipes out there just add cheese on top, I wanted that melty, gooey, cheesy goodness throughout the entire dough when you slice or tear into it. So we'll spread out the dough, layer on shredded mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan, fold the dough & spread it back out, then sprinkle more cheese on top. The end result is golden, crispy cheese on top and melty cheese inside that adds tons of flavor while keeping the bread soft for days.
Similar to my 3-cheese dinner rolls, I went with a blend of three different types of cheese here. Parmesan (or Gruyère works too) adds tang, mozzarella melts best and creates epic cheese-pulls, and cheddar (sharp cheddar is my ride-or-die) adds a beautiful color contrast. Just be sure to use pre-shredded mozzarella, since fresh releases a lot more moisture and can create a soggy texture.
This dough is meant to be wet and sticky, so don't panic if that's how yours looks. I designed it to be at a 90% hydration level, which means we aren't going to knead it. And we don't even need to bother with stretches-and-folds, thanks to the quick room temp rise to jump-start fermentation before the long overnight cold rise in the fridge.
I highly recommend dipping hunks of cheese focaccia in warm marinara sauce or hot tomato soup for grown-up grilled cheese + soup vibes (ditto my cheesy pull-apart loaf!)
Let's Bake Cheese Focaccia Together!
For the full step-by-step directions, scroll down to the recipe card.
Overnight or Same Day?
I designed this one with my lazy-baker focaccia technique, which lets the dough develop gluten without kneading or stretches-and-folds. However, if you want focaccia faster, use my quick & dirty focaccia technique, like I use for my cinnamon roll focaccia.
Testing Notes from My Kitchen
- I initially tested this cheese focaccia without the garlic, and it was really tasty, so feel free to leave it out or reduce the quantity if you're not a garlic-lover.
- Be sure to add that final olive oil drizzle before it bakes, to prevent the garlic on top from burning. It also gives the crust that signature focaccia oily & crispy texture that sets it apart from other breads.
Garlic & Three Cheese Focaccia
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup shredded cheddar
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
Topping
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Day One: Mix the Dough & Let it Rise
- 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.
- Sprinkle the flour, nutritional yeast, and salt on top, and mix everything with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula until it forms a wet, sticky 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 2 hours (to jump start fermentation).
- Transfer the bowl to the fridge for 12-16 hours (for slow, cold fermentation).
Day Two: Shape, Proof, and Bake the Bread
- Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or olive oil.
- Dump the dough into the greased baking dish and press it into all the edges.
- Sprinkle half of each of the three cheeses and half of the minced garlic evenly over the dough.
- Fold the dough into thirds from the short ends, like a letter. Then press it flat again into the edges of the baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese and minced garlic on top, then drizzle three tablespoons of olive oil over all the dough.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours, until it's puffed up and jiggly on top when you shake the baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 450F (230°C).
- 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, like you're playing the piano. Aim to have the dimples spread about 1 inch apart from each other, all over the surface of the dough.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes on the center rack, until the focaccia is golden brown on top. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Rise: Be sure to cover your bowl tightly with plastic wrap, to avoid it drying out in the fridge overnight, which can inhibit how well it rises.
- Proof: Don't skip the second rise (also called the proofing) which allows the dough to rise again after we knock out air from shaping it and adding the cheese filling.
- Storing: Store fully cooled bread at room temperature for a few days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Or pop it in the fridge if your kitchen is pretty warm.
Nutrition
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