I know, I know… I look like I am obsessed with focaccia as I’ve been publishing many focaccia recipes lately (at least sharing many focaccia photos on instagram story..). Well that is because I guess I am a bit obsessed really!

 

 

 

The thing is, focaccia is quite an easy bread to make. It takes times and effort, however, if you get a hold of the measurements once, and get good quality ingredients, then it is certain that you become successful every time.

 

 

I think my focaccia varieties are looking to be somewhat like a pizza, since I’m using all sorts of topping combinations! In fact, I shared one of the photos of this recipe in my whatsapp group with my high school friends just about an hour ago, and their first reaction was indeed to ask if it was a pizza!

 

 

 

But well, it is not a pizza, it is bread. Especially these in this blogpost are very rich ones. And even though they are rich with many toppings, there is one common topping that stands out: artichoke hearts. I wanted to make these 3 types of focaccia bread with artichoke hearts as common ingredient, because I also wanted them to be quite different than each other.

 

The first version, with feta, tomatoes and basil stands out as a very Mediterranean, maybe a bit Greek-ish because of feta. It is the first time I used cheese in focaccia. I actually thought of crumbling the feta, however I had these cubes at home so I used them and felt too lazy to crumble them. Feel free to make another feta version if you like.

 

 

The second version is the full vegan one. Focaccia itself is already vegan. Toppings may change that, like using feta as the first version. So in this one, instead of feta, there are green olives. I used olives stuffed with paprika to get a teeny tiny extra taste, but you can use just regular, plain olives as well.

 

 

The third version appeals to those who like spices! That one is vegan too. The most important part of it is that I sprinkled a very generous amount of chili pepper flakes on top. You can of course make any of the previous versions spicy too by adding some chili pepper flakes.

 

Enjoy your brand new bread recipes – and feel free to make them even richer adding your own favourite toppings!
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Ingredients:

 

Difficulty:  ★★☆ (Medium)
(makes 3 rustic bread, 1 from each version – each roughly has a size of 30x35cm)

 

Printable PDF-recipe (no photos)

 

For focaccia dough (for all 3 versions)
3.5 dl + 5 tsp (or 1 1/2 cups) very warm water (but not boiling)
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dark syrup (or maple syrup)
1 tsp salt
8.5 dl + 5 tsp (or 3 1/2 cups) strong bread flour (in Finnish: hiivaleipäjauho)
generous amount of breadcrumbs to cover the base – on baking paper

 

Toppings for version 1:
1 can of artichoke hearts, each cut in 4 – net weight 240 gr, but you don’t have to be too precise on this (preferably in water, but in oil works too if you can’t find other one)
about 10-12 cherry tomatoes, cut in 2
75 gr. feta, crumbled or cubed
a handful of fresh basil leaves
a generous pinch of salt (if the feta you use is very salty, you might want to skip this extra salt)
drizzle of olive oil (both before and after baking)

 

 

Toppings for version 2:
1 can of artichoke hearts, each cut in 4 – net weight 240 gr (same rules apply as in version 1)
about 16-18 green olives – I used ones stuffed with paprika, but feel free to use plain ones, or garlicky ones
about 15-16 cherry tomatoes, left as a whole
a handful of fresh basil leaves
2 tsp dried thyme
pinch of salt (if your olives are not salty – mine were very salty so I didn’t need to use)
drizzle of olive oil (both before and after baking)

 

 

Toppings for version 3:
1 can of artichoke hearts in olive oil, each cut in 4 – net weight 190 gr. (you can also use the same type of artichokes as in version 1 and 2)
about 15-16 sun-dried tomatoes (cut the ones, which are too big, in 2 or 3 smaller pieces)
about 16-18 black olives
leaves of 1 sprig of rosemary (feel free to use more if you like)
1.5 tsp chili pepper flakes (use less for milder bread)
a generous pinch of salt (again, check your olives’ saltiness before you add this extra salt)
drizzle of olive oil (both before and after baking)

 

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1. To make the bread dough, follow the instructions 1-8 of my focaccia recipe in this link: https://mydearkitcheninhelsinki.com/2018/03/26/vegan-monday-focaccia-with-basil-and-olive-oil/ After that, continue the steps 2 and 3 of my other focaccia recipe: https://mydearkitcheninhelsinki.com/2018/05/25/focaccia-with-rosemary-olives-and-herbal-salt-zacimbna-sol/

 

2. After the proofing of the dough, prepare the topping of version 1: put artichokes, tomatoes, feta and basil on the dough in any way you like. Press each of them well so that they go deep inside the dough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. If you think you need some extra salt, spread a generous amount on top. Drizzle some olive oil on the whole surface and put in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top starts to brown.

 

 

 

4. When the bread is right out of the oven, drizzle some more olive oil. Let the bread sit on the baking paper/oven tray for about 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack and let it cool for about half an hour at least before you cut and serve.

 

 

 

5. For version 2: after the proofing, put artichokes, olives, tomatoes and basil on dough by pressing them well into the dough. Spread dried thyme on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. (If you need to, spread some extra salt) Drizzle some olive oil on the whole surface and put in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top starts to brown.

 

 

7. Like the other one: When the bread is right out of the oven, drizzle some more olive oil. Let the bread sit on the baking paper/oven tray for about 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack and let it cool for about half an hour at least before you cut and serve.

 

 

 

8. For version 3: after proofing, put artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives on dough by pressing them into the dough.

 

 

 

 

9. Press rosemary leaves on the dough. Spread chili pepper flakes and a generous amount of salt if you need (check olives especially!). Drizzle some olive oil on the whole surface and put in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top starts to brown.

 

 

 

 

 

10. Like the previous ones: When the bread is right out of the oven, drizzle some more olive oil. Let the bread sit on the baking paper/oven tray for about 5 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack and let it cool for about half an hour at least before you cut and serve. Enjoy!