Roasted Pepper and Chile Focaccia

This roasted pepper and chile focaccia is light, airy, and amazing, and it is filled with chunks of mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, and topped with roasted sweet peppers and chiles. 

Topped with the roasted sweet peppers and mild chiles, this focaccia is so versatile. It is delicious for breakfast, for a snack, with a salad or soup for lunch, and with pasta for dinner.... or, it can be a wonderful light dinner on its own!

For the sweet peppers, I used the mini sweet peppers in the produce section that come in a bag. You can also use regular-sized red, orange, or yellow bell peppers if that's what you have in your produce bin. 

For the chiles, I used Anaheim chiles, which are local to me. You can also use fresh poblano chiles, or, if you want a little more heat, Fresno chiles. If you love heat, roast up some jalapeños for the topping. 

Things to keep in mind when making this focaccia:

The dough for this bread is very wet, but it comes together nicely and is easy to handle. The dough recipe makes two 10 inch round breads. I've used the other half of the dough for BLT Focaccia or Onion and Sage Focaccia.

Note: You will need a stand mixer, a digital scale, and two 10 inch cake pans. If you don't have the cake pans, try using a rimmed sheet pan or smaller cake pans. You will need the rims to hold in the olive oil.

Another note: The recipe calls for a "sponge" that is made the day before, so you'll need to plan in advance.

This focaccia is airy, crispy, and light, and so flavorful. 

How to roast the chiles and peppers for this focaccia:

First, roast the chiles:

Pile the chiles in the middle of a rimmed baking sheet and pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher or sea salt. Toss everything together and and spread the peppers with your hands over the baking sheet.

Next, roast the bell peppers:

Roast the peppers for 4 to six minutes and remove from the oven to cool. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees F and pile the bell peppers in the middle of the baking sheet. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt, and toss with your hands until coated. Spread the peppers out on the sheet and bake about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.

How to Make this Focaccia Dough:

First, make the sponge. Mix together some yeast, water, and flour, and let it sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. 

Next, mix the rest of the dough ingredients together in a stand mixer, and then let it rise. 

After than, spread the dough out onto an oiled pan and use your fingertips to press the dough to the edges of the pan. 

While the dough rests, roast your chiles and peppers. When you are ready to bake, press mini tomatoes and cheese cubes into the dough, and then press the roasted vegetables lightly into the dough. 

Finally,  bake the focaccia until golden brown. 

You will need to double the topping mixture if you want to make two of these focaccias. 

Roasted Pepper and Chile Focaccia Variations:

While this is optional, one thing I did was infuse the olive oil that I used in the focaccia and for baking it. 

To infuse the oil, measure the oil into a glass measuring cup and add fresh or dry herbs and spices. Warm in the microwave to 100 degrees F (about 30 seconds) and let sit. I added small amounts (about 1/8 tsp each) of garlic powder, paprika, crushed red pepper, fennel seeds, onion flakes, pepper, and herbes de Provence. 

For the peppers, you can use all red bell peppers or a mixture of any colored peppers. 

What to do with leftover focaccia: 

Keep any leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat, loosely wrapped in foil, in the oven at 325 degrees F until heated through. 

This is an updated post. Originally published in November, 2012. 

Roasted Pepper and Chile Focaccia

Yield: 12 slices

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 1 HourInactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 14 Hour

This roasted pepper and chile focaccia is light, airy, and amazing, and it is filled with chunks of mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, and topped with roasted sweet peppers and chiles.

Ingredients

To Make the Sponge

• 1/16 teaspoon instant yeast
• 105 grams water
• 86 grams bread flour

Dough Ingredients (makes two focaccia rounds)

• 11 ounces water.
• Scant tablespoon olive oil for the dough.
• 1 3/4 teaspoon instant yeast.
• 16 grams rye flour.
• 425 grams bread flour, plus more to sprinkle.
• 1 tablespoon ounce Kosher salt.
• 1/2 Cup olive oil for the pans

Topping Ingredients

• *Note, this is enough for one focaccia round. You can double this recipe, or make a plain focaccia with the other round.
• 6 Fresno chiles or 3 to 4 Anaheim chiles, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced.
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 15 sweet baby bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut in half, or 2 to three large red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch squares
• 2 ounces of low moisture mozzarella cheese cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 10 small cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 T fresh thyme leaves
• Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

To Make the Sponge

1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast and the water and let sit for about five minutes.
2. Add the bread flour and stir with a spoon until combined.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. The sponge should be very bubbly. I usually stick a Post It on the plastic wrap with the time that I made the sponge so I don't forget.

To Make the Dough

1. *Note, this is for one focaccia round. You can make a plain focaccia with the other round. or make my Christmas Tree Focaccia.
2. Begin about 3 to 3 1/2 hours prior to baking time.
3. Add the water, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the sponge, the yeast, rye flour, and the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with a spoon or dough whisk, then mix with the dough hook of your mixer on low for about 2 minutes.
4. Continue to run the mixer, and add the salt slowly.
5. Increase the mixer speed to medium, and mix the dough until it is smooth and is beginning to pull away from the bowl. This should take about 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Lightly oil a large bowl or dough rising bucket with olive oil, and add the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled, about 60 to 90 minutes.
7. Lightly flour a work surface and gently turn the dough out of the bowl.
8. Pulling from underneath the dough, fold the four "sides" of the dough to the top center.
9. Turn the dough over so the folded side is down, place it back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit at room temperature until doubled, about an hour.
10. Place 1/4 cup of the olive oil (infused or not) into each of the two cake pans and tilt the pans to spread the oil evenly.
11. Lightly flour the work surface and turn the dough out gently. Be careful not to deflate it. Cut it into two equal pieces and place each piece into an oiled pan.
12. Gently urge the dough into a round shape with your fingers, and cover the pans with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

To Make the Focaccia

1. While the dough is rising, prepare the chiles and peppers.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and pile the cut chiles in the middle of a rimmed baking sheet. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top, and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher or sea salt. mix and spread with your hands.
3. Roast for 4 to six minutes and remove from the oven to cool.
4. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees F and pile the peppers in the middle of a rimmed baking sheet. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt, and toss with your hands until coated. Spread the peppers out on the sheet and bake about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.
5. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
6. Once the dough has rested in the pans for 30 minutes, gently press your fingertips into the rounds 5 times to push the edges out.
7. Press the pieces of cheese into the dough one at a time while pressing toward the rim of the pan. The cheese should be flush with the dough.
8. Press the tomatoes into the dough using the same method.
9. Sprinkle the chiles evenly over the top and gently pat them down.
10. Press the bell pepper pieces into the dough next, but not as far down as the cheese or tomatoes.
11. Sprinkle with the thyme and sea salt.
12. Let the dough rise for about 30 minutes, until puffy.
13. Bake until golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.
14. Move the pan to the floor of the oven to crisp the bottom, about 2 to 5 minutes.
15. Remove the pan and move the focaccia to a cooling rack by slipping a fork underneath and sliding it carefully out of the pan.
16. Let cool a few minutes.
17. Cut into wedges and eat!!!!

Nutrition Facts

Calories

172.78

Fat (grams)

10.97

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.32

Carbs (grams)

17.07

Fiber (grams)

1.72

Net carbs

15.35

Sugar (grams)

3.60

Protein (grams)

2.91

Sodium (milligrams)

560.26

Cholesterol (grams)

1.87

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