Focaccia Garden Art Bread
A golden, olive-oil-kissed focaccia topped with cherry tomatoes, caramelised red onion, black olives, yellow pepper and fresh herbs, delivering fibre and antioxidants in every beautiful piece.
Nutrition per serving
In the clinic
Focaccia this version
Compared to Focaccia (BBC Good Food)
Classic focaccia is typically made with generous amounts of olive oil worked into the dough and pooled on top, with few or no vegetables, giving a higher fat and lower fibre profile per slice.
| Per serving | Focaccia | This recipe | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 208 kcal | 285 kcal | +37% |
| Carbs | 31g | 44g | +42% |
| Fat | 7g | 9g | +29% |
| Saturated fat | 1g | 1.3g | +30% |
| Sodium | 480mg | 380mg | −21% |
| Fibre | 1g | 3g | +200% |
| Protein | 5g | 7g | +40% |
What changed
-
Generous pooled olive oil on top A light drizzle of olive oil with vegetable toppings covering most of the surface
Reduces total fat per slice while the tomatoes, peppers and onions add volume, colour and antioxidants such as lycopene and quercetin
-
Plain white bread flour only Half wholemeal, half white strong bread flour
Roughly doubles the fibre content, which supports gut health and helps you feel fuller for longer
-
Salt rubbed heavily over the top Moderate salt in the dough only, relying on olives and fresh herbs for savour
Cuts sodium meaningfully without losing the punchy, satisfying flavour
-
Little or no vegetable topping Cherry tomatoes, red onion, black olives, yellow pepper and fresh flat-leaf parsley arranged as a garden design
Adds polyphenols, vitamin C and prebiotic fibre from the onion, turning each slice into a more balanced snack or side
Per serving. Our figures are estimates; the comparison's are the published nutrition of the BBC Good Food recipe.
Priyanka shared this stunning focaccia in the family group chat, and it is almost too pretty to eat. Decorated like a vegetable garden in full bloom, it is the kind of bake that earns gasps before anyone has even had a slice.
Ingredients
- 250 g Wholemeal strong bread flour
- 250 g White strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 7 g Fast-action dried yeast, one sachet
- 1 tsp Fine sea salt
- 1 tsp Caster sugar
- 320 ml Warm water
- 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 200 g Cherry tomatoes, halved or whole
- 1 Red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings and petals
- 1 Yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into thin rings or strips
- 50 g Pitted black olives, sliced into rings
- 1 Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stems and leaves kept intact for decorating
- Fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs, optional, for decorating
- Flaky sea salt, to finish
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Combine both flours, the yeast, fine sea salt and caster sugar in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Pour in the warm water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, then mix to a shaggy dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy, then shape it into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan) and lightly oil a baking tray measuring roughly 30 x 20 cm with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.
Tip the risen dough onto the tray and press it out gently with your fingertips to fill the tin, creating the characteristic dimples across the surface.
Now arrange your toppings to create a garden scene: lay parsley stems as flower stalks, use cherry tomatoes and olive rings as blooms, fan out red onion rings as large flowers and leaf shapes around the edges, tuck in yellow pepper rings and scatter small olive rings to fill gaps, and press any thyme or rosemary sprigs in among the stems.
Leave the topped focaccia to prove for a further 20 minutes while the oven comes fully up to temperature.
Scatter a pinch of flaky salt and a little black pepper over the top, then bake for 22 to 25 minutes until deep golden at the edges and the base sounds hollow when tapped.
Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing so the crumb sets and the vegetable topping holds its shape.