This chili oil focaccia has a perfectly crispy exterior that is soft and chewy on the inside with little dimpled pockets of vibrant and fragrant chili oil for a spicy hit.
The focaccia dough is incredibly easy to make (you don’t even have to knead it!) and depending on how adventurous you’re feeling, you can either make or buy the chilli oil.
Flour (ideally high protein flour, but it’s not necessary)
Instant yeast
Warm water
Honey
Salt
Neutral oil (like vegetable, canola, sunflower etc)
Chilli flakes
Garlic
Fennel seeds
Star anise
Sichuan peppercorns
Cinnamon sticks
Sesame seeds
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the warm water, honey, yeast, olive oil and set aside for 5 minutes or until the yeast starts to bubble slightly.
Add the liquids to the flour and mix until thoroughly combined. The dough will be very wet and sticky – don’t worry, it’s meant to be like that!
Cover with a tea towel or cling film and set aside for an hour or 2 or until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can place it in the fridge overnight to proof. This isn’t necessary, but will just give the focaccia a stronger flavour as the yeast is allowed to develop slowly over a longer time.
Add the garlic, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, peppercorns and oil to a saucepan and place on the stove over medium heat. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes or until the garlic just turns golden. Be very careful not to take the garlic too far as it can go bitter very quickly.
In a heatproof bowl, add the chilli flakes, sesame seeds and salt.
As soon as the garlic is golden, pour the oil and spice mixture over the chilli flakes and mix to combine.
Once the dough has doubled in size, add a few tablespoons of chilli oil to the base of a baking dish and tip in the dough. Spread the dough out as best as you can then set aside for another hour or 2 until it is puffed and filling the space of the tray.
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Cover the top of the dough with a few more tablespoons of chilli oil then dimple the dough by pressing in with your finger tips.
Bake in the oven for 20-30 mins or until the top is golden and crisp.
Allow the cool for a few minutes before slicing.
Ideally you want to eat this same day while it’s fresh from the oven and still crisp but if you have leftovers:
While bread flour is often preferred for making bread, you do not have to use it – you can use all-purpose flour or even whole wheat flour instead.
Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, which makes it more elastic and better able to hold its shape and air bubbles inside the bread. This can be especially important for making certain types of bread, such as sourdough or artisan breads, which require a stronger gluten network to rise properly and develop a chewy texture.
If you are using all-purpose flour, you can add vital wheat gluten to the dough to improve its elasticity and rise but for this recipe, it’s not necessary.
Ultimately, the type of flour you use will depend on your personal preference and the type of bread you are making. Experiment with different flours to find the one that works best for you and your recipe.
Mon Mack Food is my little space to share my passion for food. It is also a place to document the recipes I’ve created while cooking for friends and family! While it is now just a hobby, my absolute dream is to build this project into something I can one day call my job 🙂
