If you’re in the mood to bring a slightly different leavened bread to the table, this pumpkin and cheese focaccia is just what you need. I love pumpkin, so I thought of using it directly in the dough, adding very finely chopped raw pumpkin flesh. The result was a tall, very soft focaccia with a beautiful golden color and super satisfying — the kind that disappears in an instant. It’s perfect served in place of bread, but also stuffed for an informal dinner or a buffet with friends. Moreover, it’s a simple recipe within everyone’s reach: a single rise directly in the pan and then into the oven. In short, ideal even for those who are not very experienced with leavened doughs. Try it yourself and let me know what you think and whether you ate it “plain” or stuffed. And if you’re one of those who “hate” leavened breads… well, this focaccia might make you change your mind!
Other focaccia recipes you might be interested in:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 6 Servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for pumpkin and cheese focaccia
I used active dry yeast, but you can substitute it with fresh yeast if you prefer. In that case use 15–20 g and dissolve it in the warm water along with the sugar before adding the pumpkin pulp. Naturally (as always) you can reduce the amount of yeast by increasing the rising time.
- 4 cups Manitoba flour (about 500 g)
- 1 1/4 cups pumpkin flesh (about 300 g, weight after trimming)
- 3 oz grated Grana Padano (or Parmesan (about 3/4 cup, ~80 g))
- 1 packet active dry yeast (7 g (about 2 1/4 tsp))
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water (about 300 ml)
- 2 tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (about 35 ml)
- 1 3/4 tsp salt (about 10 g)
Tools
I prepared the dough for this pumpkin focaccia with a stand mixer, but you can make it with any other mixer or even by hand working the ingredients in a large bowl.
- 1 Stand mixer
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Baking pan about 12-inch diameter
Preparation of pumpkin and cheese focaccia
Clean the pumpkin by removing the skin, seeds and all internal fibers. Rinse under running water and dry very well by patting with kitchen paper or a clean cloth. Then cut it into small pieces.
Put the pieces in a food processor and chop them finely. I used a Thermomix (Bimby), starting with 3 seconds at speed 5 + 15 seconds at speed 6. I recommend stopping after 10 seconds to check the result because it depends a lot on the quality of the pumpkin and how dry and compact it is.
Pour the warm water into a bowl, add the pumpkin pulp and stir.
In the bowl of the stand mixer, place the flour, the dry yeast and the sugar and mix briefly with a small whisk by hand.
Then pour in the water and pumpkin mixture and start kneading with the dough hook.
When all the flour is perfectly incorporated, add the cheese, the oil and the salt. Continue kneading with the dough hook until all the ingredients are fully combined. You will obtain a very soft, highly hydrated and extremely sticky dough.
Transfer it into an oiled pan about 12 inches in diameter and spread it out. I lined the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and then lightly brushed it and the edges with oil. Finally, use your fingertips to create the classic focaccia dimples.
Cover and let rise in a warm place away from drafts for at least two hours.
At the end of the rising time, bake the pumpkin and cheese focaccia in a conventional oven preheated to 392°F for about 25 minutes, covering it with foil in the last minutes if it browns too much. Use the skewer test to check that the focaccia is cooked through, including the bottom. Cooking times can vary depending on the oven, so pay attention!
Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool slightly before enjoying. Enjoy! Paola.
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