Pav Bhaji Focaccia

5 from 2 votes

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!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Resting Time1

Total Time1 35

Course: Breads

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 270kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ¼ cup warm water
2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala
2 tablespoon cilantro chopped fine
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

In the base of the stand mixture add flour.
Add in instant yeast, salt and sugar.
Next add warm water and unsalted butter (at room temperature).
Mix everything till the dough comes together. Knead for another 5 minutes so the dough is soft and supple.
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.
Spread out the dough evenly in the baking tray. Add some olive oil and dimple the dough thoroughly.
Sprinkle pav bhaji masala and cilantro on the bread.
Then using a pizza cutter, cut into small pieces.
Place in an oven preheated at 425 F for 14-15 minutes. Once the bread starts to brown in spots, remove.
Serve with some pav bhaji on the side or enjoy with some olive oil drizzled on the bread.

Video

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.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition