Shakshuka Focaccia Bread
Say Hello to Shakshuka Focaccia: The Ultimate Brunch Mashup
If you're a fan of the cozy, vibrant flavors of shakshuka—that beloved dish of eggs poached in a rich, spiced tomato sauce—and the airy, olive-oil-soaked goodness of focaccia bread, prepare to meet your new obsession. Forget the side of toast; we're putting the shakshuka right on top of the bread!
This Shakshuka Focaccia is more than just a recipe; it's a game-changer for brunch, a standout centerpiece for a casual dinner, or a perfect excuse to invite friends over. It takes everything you love about dipping crusty bread into that savory sauce and bakes it into one glorious, edible masterpiece.
How to Build This Culinary Marvel
The magic happens in stages, ensuring that the focaccia is baked to golden perfection and the eggs are cooked just right—beautifully runny and ready to burst when you slice into them.
1. The Focaccia Foundation
Start with your favorite basic focaccia recipe. The dough should be dimpled and lightly oiled, creating a perfect cushion for the toppings. While the traditional dimples are lovely, we're going to get a little more strategic with our indentations.
2. Creating the Wells
Before the first bake, use the back of a large spoon or your knuckles to create six distinct wells in the dough. These aren't just light dimples; you want to press down far enough to hold a generous amount of filling without it spilling over. Think of them as little nests for your shakshuka.
3. The Tomato Filling
Now, ladle a spoonful of your prepared shakshuka tomato filling into each well. This rich, spiced sauce—usually featuring tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and spices like cumin and paprika—is the heart of the dish.
4. The Double Bake
Here's the key to perfection:
Par-Bake 1 (Bread & Sauce): Bake the focaccia with the tomato filling until the bread is starting to set and the crust is light golden. This ensures the dough begins to cook and can handle the weight of the eggs without becoming soggy.
The Egg Drop: Take the par-baked focaccia out of the oven. Carefully crack one egg directly into the center of the tomato filling in each of the six wells.
Bake 2 (The Finish): Return the bread to the oven. Continue baking until the focaccia is golden-brown and fully cooked, and the eggs are poached exactly how you like them—for that perfect runny yolk, keep a close watch!
5. The Finishing Touches
The final additions are non-negotiable and add that essential fresh, salty contrast:
As soon as it comes out of the oven, garnish generously with fresh, chopped parsley.
Sprinkle a good amount of crumbled feta cheese over the entire loaf. The tangy, salty feta melts slightly against the hot sauce and bread.
Time to Slice!
The moment of truth: cut a square, making sure each slice has one of those beautiful, saucy eggs. As you cut, the rich, runny yolk should spill out, mixing with the spiced tomato sauce and soaking right into the soft, porous focaccia beneath it.
This Shakshuka Focaccia is messy, delicious, and perfectly satisfying. It’s bread, it’s sauce, and it’s eggs—all in one magnificent, shareable meal. Give it a try this weekend!
Shakshuka Focaccia Bread
Makes one, 9x13 inch pan
For the tomato sauce:
Use about HALF when assembling in your focaccia. The remaining half you can serve on the side after the focaccia is baked.
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper or roasted red bell pepper, chopped
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 can (15 ounces) crushed or diced tomatoes
For the Focaccia Dough:
500g white bread flour (12% protein content or higher)
420ml warm water
6g (1.5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
5g (1 teaspoon) honey, or sugar
15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
10g (2 teaspoons) fine sea salt
For the Toppings:
About 2 tbsp olive oil
6 large eggs, room temperature
fresh parsley, finely chopped
Crumbled feta
flaky sea salt
Method:
To make the tomato sauce, warm the oil in a large skillet or medium pot over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook until slightly caramelized. Then add in the bell pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until bell peppers are tender.
Add in the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until nice and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes with their juices. Stir, and let the mixture come to a simmer. Reduce the heat and continue to cook on a gentle simmer, for about 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add salt and pepper as necessary to taste. Set aside to cool completely. The tomato sauce can also be made the day before as well to reduce your prep time for this recipe.
Make the Focaccia Dough. In a large bowl, mix together the water and yeast and honey together and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Then mix in the olive oil, flour and salt together until a shaggy dough forms.
Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Using wet hands, stretch and fold the dough. Grab the dough from on end and stretch it to the other. Do this all around the dough for about four or five times. Cover and rest again for 15 minutes.
Do a second stretch and fold and cover and rest again for 15 minutes.
Do a third and final stretch and fold and cover and rest for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Generously oil up a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Gently place your dough onto the pan. Careful not to deflate the dough too much.
Using oiled up hands, gently fold the dough into thirds like an envelope. Then flip it over so the seam is at the bottom.
Cover and proof for 1 hour or until the dough rises to almost the top of the pan.
Assemble the shakshuka focaccia: Once your dough is proofed, preheat oven to 425°F. Drizzle about 2 tbsp. worth of olive oil on top of the dough, dimple the dough using your oiled finger tips. Spoon 6 evenly-spaced dollops of the tomato sauce on top of the dough (about 1/4 cup each well), using the back of the spoon to spread and press the sauce into the dough, creating a small well for our eggs to sit in later. Top focaccia with flaky sea salt.
Bake the focaccia for 15-17 minutes. Then remove the focaccia from oven. Use the back of your spoon to gently press down on each 6 wells to make enough room for the eggs. Crack an egg to each well. Place focaccia back in oven, baking for another 8-12 minutes, or until the whites are set but yolk is still wiggly (keep checking on this! It will happen before you know it!).
Remove focaccia from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Top with fresh parsley and crumbled feta. Serve warm!
