5 Methods to Flip Focaccia Right into a Candy Deal with

Focaccia is undoubtedly having a second on Instagram, and we’re right here for it. Whereas making a home made batch is straightforward as may be (see our recipes for primary home made focaccia, roasted garlic focaccia, and olive-rosemary focacccia), I can’t say I’m all the time able to hop off the sofa and prep a batch for the oven—fortuitously good store-bought focaccia isn’t onerous to seek out.  Whereas good high quality home made focaccia or store-bought focaccia is satisfying by itself, there are myriad methods to decorate it up. After all there are a lot of savory spins on focaccia (olive, tomato, and onion are a few of my favourite add-ins), but it surely’s the candy takes which might be significantly piquing our curiosity now.

As soon as we noticed this put up utilizing focaccia as a vessel for an ice cream sandwich, I and the remainder of the Critical Eats staff began furiously brainstorming different methods to show this sometimes savory bread right into a candy deal with. Listed here are only a few of our favourite candy spins on focaccia.

Ice Cream Sandwich

Utilizing slices of focaccia as a substitute of cookies for an ice cream sandwich is genius, so we needed to embody it right here. It’s so simple as scooping your favourite ice cream and smushing it between two items of focaccia. I attempted plain focaccia with vanilla ice cream in addition to with espresso ice cream, and each had been scrumptious, however I can see this working properly with different ice cream flavors, so mess around with it—you by no means know what new mixtures you’ll uncover. Rosemary focaccia with honey or peach ice cream is one we wish to strive quickly.

Because the common slice of focaccia is often fairly thick, I recommend slicing it down the center to create two items. For optimum smushing capability, it’s finest to go along with un-toasted focaccia right here; a heat piece will lead your ice cream to soften quickly, and a crisp one is a straightforward path to your sandwich falling aside quicker than your life….

Nutella, Pistachio Cream, and Different Candy Spreads

Good focaccia is extra flavorful than your common piece of toast, which makes it the best vessel on your favourite spreads. Something goes right here: a chocolate-hazelnut unfold resembling Nutella, dulce de leche, and pistachio cream are nice decisions, however I significantly favored the easy mixture of salted butter and a drizzle of honey. Whichever unfold you select to slather in your focaccia, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt is a perfect completion.

This can be a nice possibility for a fast candy snack, however should you’re entertaining, you would additionally reduce the focaccia up into bite-size items after which toast them within the oven earlier than including your unfold of alternative, within the vein of  baguette toasts. 

Bread Pudding

In case your focaccia is nearing the tip of its freshness or is already stale, going the bread pudding route is a good way to make use of it up. You need to use any bread pudding recipe and sub focaccia for the listed bread. As soon as combined with the opposite elements and baked, the focaccia will tackle a comfortable, spoonable texture—a perfect dessert to scoop right into a bowl and comfy up with on the sofa.

French Toast

One of many nice issues about French toast is how adaptable it’s—you may make it with many various kinds of (ideally stale) bread, together with white bread, challah, brioche, and, sure, focaccia. Since focaccia tends to be thick, we suggest leaving it within the egg tub barely longer than you’ll with thinner bread to make sure it soaks it up properly. Another choice is to slice the focaccia into thinner items earlier than putting it within the eggy combination. Nonetheless you do it, senior culinary editor Leah Colins, who first hatched this concept for focaccia French toast, recommends including a little bit of vanilla.  

Bread & Fruit Dessert Salad

Panzanella, however make it candy? Don’t thoughts if we do! This concept from culinary editor Genevieve Yam is basically a fruit salad with bread. You’ll wish to reduce up the focaccia into bite-size items and toss with no matter fruit you’d like (grapes and berries are my private favorites), then season with a great high quality olive oil, sea salt, and a few citrus zest.