Focaccia Slab Sandwich

by Jessica Nguyen

 

A fun Father's Day recipe idea. It’s an impressive dish but very easy to make and assemble the morning of and great for feeding a group. Simply bake the focaccia the day before and then assemble the sandwich the morning of and fill with your favourite sandwich fillings. Cut into 6 or 8. To make it a brunch spread, I served the sandwiches alongside some orange juice and pastries. I grabbed all of the ingredients from The Market Pavilion at Chadstone.

 

Ingredients


Focaccia


  • 625ml  (2.5 cups) of warm tap water

  • 2 teaspoons of honey or sugar

  • 7g (2.5 teaspoons) of dry active yeast

  • 625g (5 cups) of plain flour, sifted

  • 1 tablespoon of salt

  • 1/4 cup of olive oil, plus extra for greasing the tray

  • 1 generous pinch of flaky salt


Sandwich Fillings


Olive salad spread

  • 1 jar of giardiniera. I used Capricco Antispasto 550g from Colonial Fresh

  • 1 small tub of pitted mixed olives.

  • 5 stalks of flat parsley, roughly chopped

 

  • 1 jar of Ajvar. I bought Mamma’s Homestyle Ajvar 550g from Colonial Fresh 

  • 200-500g of your choice of cured meats. Keep it simple with 200g of one or go all out with 150g of 4 different types. I ended up getting San Danielle Proscuitto, Kurabuta Capocollo, Morcon Piccante and Olive Mortadella from Vic’s Meat

  • 10 slices of provolone cheese. I got mine from That’s Amore Cheesery

  • 3 balls of fior di latte cheese. I got mine from That’s Amore Cheesery

  • 1 bag of rocket


Method

Ideally, bake your focaccia the day before. You can find the full recipe process with video and step by step images here but also adding the method below for ease.

  1. Fill a medium bowl with 2.5 cups of warm water (40 degrees, body temp) and dissolve 2 teaspoons of honey/sugar into the water. The sugar helps activate the yeast, giving it something to feed on.

  2. Whisk in 2.5 teaspoons of yeast and then allow to stand for 10 minutes or until you start seeing the top of the mixture start to become creamy, frothy and bubbly.

  3. Meanwhile, place 5 cups of sifted flour and 1 tablespoon of salt into a large bowl and mix.

  4. Pour your yeast mixture into the bowl with the flour and salt and use a spatula to mix until you get a rough, shaggy dough.

  5. Generously oil a large dish or pot and transfer your dough into it. Now gather up the edges of the dough farthest from you and lift up and over into the centre of the tray. Give the tray a quarter turn and repeat the ‘stretch and fold’ process for a few revolutions.

  6. Cover with a tea towel or lid and allow to rest in a warm spot for about 3 hours or until it has doubled in size.

  7. Grease a large baking tray (30 x 20cm) and then transfer your dough to the tray.

  8. Again, do some ‘stretch and folds’ to your dough for another few revolutions, and then use your fingers to gently spread the dough out in the pan. Allow to rest for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until the dough has expanded to the entire surface of the pan.

  9. Make dimples all over with your fingers.

  10. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of flaky salt and then bake in the oven (220 degrees fan forced) for about 30 minutes or until fully cooked in the centre and golden brown on the outside.

  11.  Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container until you need to use.


Assemble the sandwich

  1. Make the olive salad by placing the parsley, olives and giardiniera into a food processor and pulse until you get a chunky spread like paste. Place into a container and set aside.

  2. Cut the focaccia in half legnthways.

  3. Spread the ajvar on the focaccia top piece and spread the olive salad on the focaccia bottom piece.

  4. Add your meats, spreading them evenly to cover the olive salad.

  5. Add the provolone cheese.

  6. Drain the fior di latte, pat dry and slice into 2cm pieces and place onto the sandwich.

  7. Add a layer of rocket on top and spread evenly.

  8. Place the focaccia top onto the sandwich. 

  9. Transfer onto a platter to serve. You can let the sandwich rest for about an hour to allow the spread and salad to soak into the focaccia.

  10. Cut into 6 sandwiches just before serving.

  11. Enjoy!

 

Watch the Process

 

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