Quick stuffed focaccia recipe

A fundamental pillar of our local cuisine? Undoubtedly… the focaccia , better if filled to perfection with delicious fillings of all kinds.
If, like me, you are a very lazy sweet tooth (sigh) you can opt for a quick stuffed focaccia recipe that will take much less time than preparing the traditional soft focaccia .

This type of focaccia is very versatile : it lends itself to vegetarian fillings (onions, herbs, cheeses…) as well as meat fillings (not too seasoned cold cuts, sausage or simple minced meat seasoned to taste).

Let's see in detail what we need to prepare the quick stuffed focaccia and the procedure to make it to perfection.
In this recipe, I decided to prepare a vegetarian version based on onion, zucchini, mozzarella and Apulian caciotta .

Ingredients for 4/6 people:

For the focaccia:

• 300 g of type 1 flour
• 15 g of yeast
• 1 glass of warm water (about 200 ml)
• 7 g of salt
• 2 tablespoons of oil

For the stuffing:

• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 onion
• pitted olives to taste
• 1 mozzarella of 100/125 gr
• caciotta to taste
• oil to taste

Preparation:

• Let's start by preparing the focaccia dough.
  Dissolve the yeast in warm water , stirring carefully until completely dissolved.
• Pour the flour , the salt, the two tablespoons of oil into a fairly large container and start mixing, gradually pouring in the water containing the yeast with the help of a fork.
• Work the dough obtained until it has a homogeneous consistency and add a little flour in case it is too sticky. The consistency should be very similar to that of the earlobe (a very fitting comparison).
• Finally, grease the container you used with a little oil to prevent the dough from sticking to the surface and cover it with cling film making it adhere perfectly. Finally, let it rise for 2 hours until doubled in volume.
• Let's move on to the filling: in a pan, simmer the onions cut into coarse slices together with the olives for about ten minutes.
  Cut the courgettes into very fine slices , add them to the onion and simmer everything for another ten minutes or so. Only at the end, room to taste.
• In a bowl, prepare the mozzarella cut into cubes (taking care to remove excess water) and also prepare the flakes of the cheese you have chosen (I used caciotta but you can also add pecorino or grana padano depending on what you prefer). you have at home).
• Leave to cool and return to the dough: after 2 hours it should have doubled in volume. Divide it in half and form two balls that you will work separately.
• Grease a rectangular pan (not too big, large enough to hold the dough) and start rolling out the ball using only your fingertips. If the dough doesn't stretch completely, let it rise a little more.
• Roll out the other ball of dough on a flat surface following the same precautions. This portion of dough will serve as a cover.
  NB: The two doughs will continue to rise between one step and the next, so don't worry if they don't spread out immediately. Grease your hands and keep working it gently 😉
• Once you have the two layers, comes the fun: assembly. Arrange the filling on the dough already in the pan and cover everything with the second layer, pricking the surface with a fork.
  Create a border to close the two layers using your fingertips and rolling the ends.
• Bake in a static oven at 200° for 30 minutes and once the focaccia is out of the oven, brush the surface with very little water to prevent it from drying out. Cover the focaccia with a little aluminum while it is still hot and let it cool.

A tip to taste it at its best? Prepare it a few hours in advance and reheat it at meal time… so it's really out of this world!
Enjoy your meal!