A Big Fat Focaccia Sandwich
Sometimes you just need a massive focaccia sandwich. There really is nothing like a sandwich made with fresh, spongy focaccia and delicious seasonal ingredients. This is one of my favourite filling combinations. It’s sweet, salty and creamy.
This focaccia recipe is my favourite and it is so easy to make, there’s hardly any hands on time. No kneading required either. It’s a 90% hydration dough which means it’s light and soft. Apart from the delicious focaccia, the other star of the show is the pistachio pesto. It’s punchy, garlicy and so tasty. Any leftover is perfect for pesto pasta too.
Ingredients: Makes 6 large focaccia sandwiches
Focaccia dough:
500g strong bread flour
450ml tepid water
7g dried yeast
10g salt
olive oil & flaky salt, to top
Pistachio Pesto:
100g shelled pistachios, toasted
20g fresh basil
35g grated parmesan
1 garlic clove
100ml olive oil, plus more if needed to adjust consistency (I used 140ml)
Fillings:
prosciutto
burrata
large ripe tomatoes
rocket
salt/pepper
Method
Day One:
For the focaccia; mix the flour, salt & yeast in a bowl. Add the water & mix until you have a shaggy dough. Cover & leave for 30 minutes. Using a wet hand, stretch the dough from underneath and over the top. Continue until you've stretched around the whole edge of the bowl. Cover and repeat the rest & stretch two more times. Place into a well oiled bowl, cover and place into the fridge overnight.
For the pistachio pesto; place the pistachios, basil, parmesan and garlic into a food processor and add in half of the oil. Blend until you have a grainy consistency (your pesto shouldn’t be completely smooth). Add in the remaining oil and mix through. Add a little more oil to adjust the consistency if needed. Refrigerate until needed.
Day Two:
Liberally oil a 9x12 inch tray. Lift the proved focaccia dough inside and, with oiled hands, tuck the dough under itself until you have a rough square. Rub the top with oil and push it out with your fingertips until it’s in an even layer covering the whole tray. Cover and leave to prove for 1 hour or until doubled in size and jiggly.
Preheat the oven to 230°C. Pour over a few glugs of olive oil over the proved focaccia and gently dimple it with your fingertips. Sprinkle over a good amount of flaky salt. Bake for 15 minutes before turning the oven down to 200°C for another 10-15 minutes. The focaccia should be golden brown and crisp. Leave to cool completely.
Cut the focaccia in half lengthways and then into three so you have six large rectangles. To build your sandwich; slice a piece of focaccia in half and spread the pistachio pesto on both sides. Layer on a generous layer of prosciutto followed by the burrata. Place on some thinly sliced ripe tomato and season them with salt and pepper. Add a good handful of rocket and place the top piece of focaccia on top. Wrap the sandwich in greaseproof paper. When you’re ready to serve, slice the sandwich in half and enjoy! Focaccia is always best eaten on the day it’s made but is still good for a sandwich on day two.