Chances are, even if you’ve never been to Italy, you’ve tasted focaccia bread or at least something like it. Focaccia bread is a traditional Italian bread that is very similar to pizza crust, just fluffier. It has a salty, yeasty taste and is frequently topped with olive oil to be eaten as a light snack during the day.
Focaccia bread is traditionally a street food that is topped with various toppings depending on where in Italy you eat it. Sometimes the toppings are as simple as olive oil and sea salt whereas other times you can find focaccia covered in multiple types of sausages and cheeses.
The sky is the limit with focaccia bread, you can use it in anything from your favorite salad recipe as a substitute for croutons to quick and easy pizza crust. Another popular way that you can use focaccia bread is as sandwich bread, creating the perfect open-faced or regular sandwich.
What is Focaccia Bread?
Focaccia bread is a type of flatbread that originated in Italy and is still one of their most popular street foods. It is very similar to pizza dough but has a slightly higher yeast content which makes the bread more fluffy than the crispy pizza dough that is popular across Italy.
Focaccia is made using a simple mixture of flour, water, oil, and yeast. Then it is all kneaded together until it becomes a dough. After that, the dough will be left to rise for several hours which gives it the classic, light focaccia texture that both Italians and tourists know and love.
After the bread dough has fully risen it will be stretched out to create large sheets of dough. It is also typically greased with oil and has some indentations made to prepare the bread for its toppings later on. After the bread has been prepared it will be baked in the oven for roughly 30 minutes until the crust of the bread has achieved a beautiful golden color.
Once the bread is done baking it is time to add toppings. The toppings for focaccia vary based on the region of Italy and can be either sweet or savory. Some of the most popular toppings are olives, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and a small amount of cheese. There is even a variation of focaccia that is stuffed with a thin layer of cheese to make for a delicious, creamy snack.
Focaccia is often topped and stuffed with things like vegetables, cheese, and sausages to create a more filling meal. It can also be served with several other foods to make it a side dish or the star of the meal.
No matter how you choose to eat it, you are sure to enjoy focaccia.
5 Ways to Make Focaccia Sandwiches
In the United States and other parts of the world, it can be difficult to get traditional Italian ingredients to top your focaccia with. Fortunately, you can use focaccia to make some delicious sandwiches with ingredients that can be accessed all over the world.
Even if you can’t make it to the streets of Italy, there are several other ways to enjoy focaccia bread from the comfort of your own home. One of the best ways to use focaccia bread is to make a delicious sandwich.
Chicken Florentine Focaccia Sandwich
One delicious sandwich option that has a distinct, Italian flair is the chicken florentine focaccia sandwich. To make this sandwich you will need some chicken, preferably shredded, Italian dressing, spinach, bell pepper, provolone, and, of course, focaccia bread.
You will first want to marinate your chicken in Italian dressing. This will help to mesh the flavors of your sandwich and make the chicken just a little bit more interesting. It is also an easy way to add lots of different spices to your meal without having to pull out each individual spice container.
After the chicken has marinated for at least one hour, you can pull it out of the marinade, let the excess dressing drain away, and place it on your focaccia. After you add the chicken you should add spinach, bell pepper, and provolone. At this point, you can choose to top your sandwich off with some extra Italian dressing.
You can eat this sandwich with two pieces of focaccia, or keep it traditional and eat it as an open-faced sandwich.
Chicken Salad Focaccia Sandwich
Another great option is to make a chicken salad sandwich with focaccia flatbread. This can give some extra crunch to a normally mushy sandwich and is super easy to make and take on the go. The flatbread will hold up better against the wet ingredients than most other types of bread.
For an added kick of Italian flavor, you can use garlic and herb-covered focaccia. This is a great, flavorful variation that should be pretty easy to find in your local grocery store.
Deli Party Focaccia Sandwich
A great way to elevate your daily deli meat sandwich is by putting it on some fresh, focaccia flatbread. This will make it crunchier and helps to make a basic sandwich a bit more interesting, both texturally and flavorwise.
These are also great options to prepare for a large gathering or party. They are super simple to put together but also have more flavor than a sandwich made with regular bread.
Fully Loaded Focaccia Sandwich
This is the ultimate focaccia flatbread combination. For this sandwich, you get to let your imagination run wild. Add all of your favorite meats, cheeses, vegetables, and sauces, and eat it on some delicious, crunchy focaccia flatbread.
If you’d like to keep the flavors more traditional, you can always top it off with some Italian sausage, fresh tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. That will make for a great, fresh focaccia sandwich.
Focaccia Breakfast Sandwich
The last sandwich on this list is the focaccia breakfast sandwich. Sometimes breakfast sandwiches can get a little mushy, especially since they usually contain eggs and are often based on a biscuit or other similar, fluffy bread.
Using focaccia instead of a biscuit can help to give an added crunch to your regular breakfast sandwich and can make it a bit easier to hold on to. No more eggs tumbling to the floor when you bit into your sandwich.
To make a delicious breakfast sandwich start off with eggs prepared however you like them, then top it off with sausage and bacon. Some people also like to add some melty cheese to help make their breakfast sandwich an extra indulgent experience.
Conclusion
Focaccia is a super delicious food that is popular both on the streets of Italy and all around the world. Nowadays, one of the most popular uses of focaccia bread is using it to make a sandwich. There are no limits to what you can do with focaccia bread, making everything from sandwiches to mini pizzas that you can walk around and eat.
Some of the best sandwiches that you can make with focaccia flatbread are a chicken florentine sandwich, chicken salad sandwich, deli party sandwich, fully loaded focaccia sandwich, and a delicious, crunchy breakfast sandwich.
