Pav Bhaji Focaccia

A fusion of Italian Focaccia and Pav Bhaji; this Pav Bhaji Focaccia is a perfectly spiced bread made from scratch.

It is great as an appetizer or snack when served with Pav Bhaji!

Making breads at home is therapeutic and so much fun. While we can customize the ingredients in the recipe, we can add so many fun elements and flavors to the dough.

I love making breads at home and my family loves them all too. From this no-knead Pumpkin Bread and Chutney bread to this delicious Whole wheat sandwich bread and Purple Potato Bread; we love them all.

Today's bake is a super delicious one. And it is perfect as an appetizer or snack. It is inspired from the Italian Focaccia and with Indian spices. A fusion recipe that is pretty easy to make and super delicious!

Jump to:

• What is Focaccia
• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Recipe FAQs
• More Appetizer Recipes
• More Focaccia Recipes
• Pav Bhaji Focaccia

What is Focaccia

Focaccia is an oven baked Italian bread. It is served as an appetizer or used in a sandwich.

It is a popular one for its signature top and texture. Additionally, the dimpled top is wonderful as a carrier for olive oil or other dips.

This bread is generally served with a dip. Seasoned olive oil, dressings or balsamic vinegar make a great dip for the bread.

Further, it is great with more complex dips like in this case; Pav Bhaji (Indian sloppy joe).

Why this recipe works

With Focaccia as the base, we make this recipe with Indian flavors. Pav Bhaji, an Indian mix of spiced mashed veggies; is perfect with buttered pav or bread.

Instead of pav we are going to serve this Focaccia with bhaji as an appetizer. Moreover, it makes a great snack and is perfect as a combination.

I have added some pav bhaji masala and cilantro as topping for the Focaccia. It brings in the flavor of the dish into this fusion recipe.

• This recipe is a mix of Italian Focaccia and Indian Pav Bhaji. It brings the dishes together to make a great appetizer.
• The Focaccia can be served at room temperature with some hot bhaji or heated a little.
• It does stay well for 2-3 days and makes a great make-ahead recipe. Simply wrap in plastic and refrigerate till ready to serve. Heat it before serving or enjoy at room temperature.
• This Focaccia can be seasoned with pav bhaji masala and cilantro. I sometimes add some diced onions, peppers and tomatoes as topping.
• We can put the recipe together with just 30 minutes of active time. The rest is just fermenting or baking time.

I have made this recipe for various events and the guests have enjoyed it a lot. If you are familiar with Indian fusion recipes, you would know Pav Bhaji Fondue, Paneer Tacos and Tandoori Momos. This recipe is just super amazing like those. Starts with an Indian and Italian classic and fuses the two wonderfully.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• All purpose flour: I like to make this bread with all purpose flour. It can be made with wheat flour and gluten too. Or with a combination of all purpose flour or wheat flour. I like to make it with either of the flours but all purpose will make the softest breads. You can use either based on which you like better.
• Yeast: Use either Instant yeast or active dry yeast in the recipe. While the end result is equally good when using both, the method to activate the yeast varies.
• Unsalted Butter: The fat we use in this recipe is unsalted butter. We can also use Olive Oil for the recipe. I like to use unsalted butter in the bread and olive oil after preparing the dough.
• Pav Bhaji Masala: To get the pav bhaji flavor I like to use store bought pav bhaji masala and cilantro. These together with butter and bread dough makes a great combination. I like to use this pav bhaji masala for all my pav bhaji recipes.
• Onions, peppers and garlic are great to add in the bread.
• To enjoy the focaccia in its best way, you would definitely need bhaji from Pav Bhaji. This can be made specially for the recipe or use it from leftover. I have two versions on the blog. Try either this Pav Bhaji recipe or this Instant Pot version.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- In the base of the stand mixture add 3 cups all purpose flour.

2- Add these in:

• 2 ¼ teaspoon (1 packet) instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar.

3- Next add 1 cup warm water and 3 tablespoon unsalted butter (at room temperature).

4- Mix everything using the dough hook till the dough comes together. Knead for another 5 minutes so the dough is soft and supple.

5- Place the dough ball in the bowl lined with oil and rest covered in a warm place. The dough will double in about an hour. Once it does, transfer to a lined baking tray. I used a half sheet pan for this pav bhaji focaccia.

6- Spread out the dough evenly in the baking tray. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and dimple the dough thoroughly.

7- Sprinkle 2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala and 2 tablespoon cilantro on the bread dough.

8- Then using a pizza cutter, cut into small pieces.

9- Place in an oven preheated at 425 F for 14-15 minutes. Once the bread starts to brown in spots, remove.

10- Serve with some Pav Bhaji on the side or enjoy with some olive oil drizzled on the bread.

Expert Tips and Notes

• If using active dry yeast in the recipe add warm water, salt and sugar to the yeast to activate; then mix in all the dry ingredients. When using instant yeast, add that with the other ingredients. Then add warm water and make the bread dough. We do not need to activate this yeast separately.
• I add unsalted butter to the dough as butter is an essential ingredient to bring in the Pav Bhaji flavor. However; using olive oil, a classic focaccia element is an option too.
• The same bread can be made with whole wheat flour too. To do so, add 3 tablespoon essential gluten with the flour and proceed with the same recipe.
• Make the Focaccia the day of serving or a day before. It can be refrigerated and re heated before serving.
• Make the cuts in the dough before baking to get clean edges of the bites. We can also cut the pieces after baking.

Recipe FAQs

More Appetizer Recipes

More Focaccia Recipes

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