Mediterranean Focaccia with Roasted Garlic, Artichokes, and Olives
This Mediterranean focaccia bread is about to be your new favorite side dish – perfect with soups or as a sandwich sealer.
Whenever I hear “Mediterranean,” I’m almost immediately in (unless it involves octopus, in which case, that’s gonna be a hard pass from me). There’s something so fresh and flavorful about the ingredients that always makes my mouth water.
I’m also just a sucker for loads of garlic and a fluffy but crispy bread (with bubbles).
If you love this recipe, please rate and review it below and tag @accentgolden in your posts on social!
This website uses affiliate links, which may earn commission for purchases made at no additional cost to you.
MEDITERRANEAN FOCACCIA
Focaccia is a fluffy Italian bread made with olive oil. It’s known for those pockets of air bubbles and a soft interior, with the olive oil giving it that signature crunch on the outside.
This Mediterranean focaccia is made up of a roasted garlic focaccia dough, which we then top with loads of artichokes, mushrooms, and olives pressed all over before baking. It’s absolute heaven in every bite.
For a golden, crisp focaccia crust, coat the dough with olive oil and make sure the mushrooms are cooked and the artichokes and olives are well-drained. Excess liquid will prevent the crust from browning properly.
INGREDIENTS
- Warm water: activates the yeast and helps form the dough
- Sugar or honey: feeds the yeast and aids in dough rising
- Active dry yeast: leavens the dough for a light, airy texture
- Bread flour: provides structure and chewiness to the focaccia
- Salt: enhances flavor and balances sweetness
- Olive oil: adds richness, moisture, and helps create a tender crumb
- Flaky sea salt: provides finishing flavor and a slight crunch on top
- Garlic: roasted to add deep, aromatic flavor
- Mushrooms: add earthy, savory notes and texture
- Olives: bring briny, salty flavor to complement the dough
- Artichoke hearts: add tender, tangy vegetable flavor to the focaccia
What’s the purpose of sugar in bread dough? Yeast feeds on sugar to produce carbon dioxide, helping the dough rise. Sugar also draws water away from the gluten, resulting in a softer bread once baked.
HOW TO MAKE MEDITERRANEAN FOCACCIA
Roasting Garlic
Preheat the oven to 400°F and slice ¼ inch off the top of each garlic bulb to expose the cloves, peeling away loose outer layers as needed. Drizzle olive oil over the cut surface, wrap the bulbs loosely in foil, and roast directly on the oven rack for 35–40 minutes until the cloves are soft.
Let the garlic cool for 5 minutes, then squeeze the cloves out of the bulbs into a bowl and mash with a fork. Set aside to cool while you prepare the dough.
Prepping Your Dough
In a small bowl, combine warm water and sugar, then sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt, add the yeast mixture, and stir until a dough forms. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Perform one set of stretch-and-folds by lifting each “side” of the dough in turn, covering, and resting for another 10 minutes. Dot the dough with the roasted garlic, perform a second set of stretch-and-folds, and rest for 10 minutes.
Finish with one set of coil folds, lightly drizzle the top with olive oil, cover airtight, and refrigerate for 15–24 hours.
Assembling & Baking
Sauté the sliced mushrooms in a teaspoon of olive oil over medium-high heat until lightly golden and set aside. Pour ¼ cup olive oil into a 9×13” pan, using your hand to spread it, coating the pan.
Remove the dough from the fridge, pop any large bubbles, and transfer it to the pan, folding it like an envelope with the seam side down. Let the dough rest for 1 hour at room temperature, then gently stretch it to fit the pan and allow an additional 30–60 minutes to rise until puffed and jiggly.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Drizzle the dough with 1–2 tablespoons olive oil, and press dimples with your fingers.
Top the focaccia dough with mushrooms, artichokes, and olives, pressing gently into the dough. Bake for 30–35 minutes on the lowest rack until golden brown and 190°F internally.
Let the focaccia cool in the pan for 10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack for 15–20 minutes, then slice and enjoy!
3 reasons you’ll love this Mediterranean focaccia
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- I find that the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer is the perfect size for shaping and rising the focaccia dough
- You must cook and drain out any moisture from your toppings. Make sure the mushrooms are fully cooked down, and the artichokes and olives are completely drained (and ideally patted dry). You don’t want any excess moisture on top of the dough, or it won’t crisp up and develop a golden color as it bakes
- Easily omit and replace with extra of any toppings, if you prefer one but not another.
- If using a smaller olive, like kalamata, they will crisp/dry as they bake, so I’d recommend pushing a majority into the dough and then reserving the rest for topping after your focaccia is baked
STORING HOMEMADE FOCACCIA
Place your baked focaccia in an airtight container where it will keep for up to 2 days at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also slice and store in a container in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, just place on a baking sheet and bake in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through and there is no moisture.
MORE SIDE DISH RECIPES
- Flaky Pimento Cheese Biscuits
- Asparagus & Goat Cheese Twists
- Rosemary Challah Bread Rolls
- Homemade Herb Butter
- Easy Pesto Pinwheels
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
- Digital Scale
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Plastic wrap
- 9×13” Nonstick Baking Pan
- Wire Rack
- Frying Pan
- Foil
- Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 540 g warm water around 110°F
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
- 7 g active dry yeast
- 600 g bread flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup olive oil plus extra for drizzling
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- 2 bulbs garlic unpeeled
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ cup pitted olives cut in half (Kalamata, Castelvetrano, or green olives)
- ½ cup quartered artichoke hearts drained and roughly chopped
Instructions
ROASTING GARLIC
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Slice ¼ inch off the top of each garlic bulb to expose the tops of the cloves. Peel away the loose outer papery layers of the garlic bulb as needed, leaving the head intact
- Place the bulbs on a small square of foil
- Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil evenly over the cut surface of each bulb (2 tsp total), letting it seep between the cloves
- Wrap bulbs loosely in foil and place directly on the oven rack
- Roast for 35 minutes
- Cool for 5 minutes, then squeeze the garlic out of the bulbs into a bowl and mash together with a fork. Set aside to cool
PREPPING YOUR DOUGH
- For your focaccia dough, in a small bowl, combine warm water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and stir gently. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes foamy
- In a large bowl with room for growth, combine flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix with a spatula or your hands until a dough forms
- Cover your bowl with a towel, and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes at room temperature
- After 10 minutes, perform one set of stretch and folds: looking down at your dough in the bowl, imagine it has four sides (like a square versus a circle). Take the top side, gently lift it up, and pull it over the dough down to the bottom side. Rotate your bowl 90 degrees. Now you have a new top side; lift that up, stretch it over down to the new bottom side. Repeat until you’ve done this four times (for all four “sides”). Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Dot your dough with the roasted garlic, then do one more set of stretch and folds. Cover and rest for another 10 minutes
- Lastly, perform one set of coil folds. Again, looking at your dough and imagining four sides, use your pointer and middle fingers of each hand and scoop under the middle of the dough, lifting it gently, and tuck the top side under, towards the middle. Then tuck the bottom side under, towards the middle. Rotate your bowl 90 degrees, and do another coil fold on each top and bottom
- Lightly drizzle the top of your dough with olive oil and gently smooth it over the top – it might be a little sticky, so be careful not to tear it. Cover your bowl airtight with a lid or plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 15-24 hours
ASSEMBLING & BAKING
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, add a teaspoon of olive oil, and your sliced mushrooms. Sauté for 2 minutes, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook until the moisture has evaporated and they are lightly golden. Set aside
- Pour your ¼ cup of olive oil into a 9×13” pan, using your hand to spread up the sides as needed
- Remove your dough from the fridge. If any large bubbles have formed on the top of your dough, pop them with your fingers. Dip your fingers into the oil in your pan to lightly grease them before gently transferring your dough from the bowl to the baking pan. Fold your dough like an envelope (right side a third of the way in, left side over right), flip and turn your dough so the seam side is down and the longest direction is running along the longest part of the pan. Cover and let rest for one hour at room temperature
- Pull the dough gently to fit the rectangular shape of the pan. Don’t force this; if it’s not pulling, let it rest for 10 minutes and try again. Set aside uncovered at room temperature for an additional 30-60 minutes to finish rising. It will be puffed and jiggly when you gently shake the pan
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Drizzle your dough with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and use your finger to press deep into the dough, making those traditional focaccia dimples
- Spoon your mushrooms evenly over the top of the dough, gently pressing them in. Then evenly tuck in your quartered artichoke hearts and olives. If using kalamata olives, press most of them into the dough before baking, and sprinkle the rest over top once done baking (so they don’t get too crispy)
- Bake for 30-35 minutes on the lowest rack in your oven until golden brown. You can insert a digital thermometer into the center of your bread to check for doneness; it should have an internal temperature of 190°F when ready. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool for 15-20 minutes
- Slice and enjoy!
Can’t stop eating this!