Recipe for: Mazurian Focaccia with Grilled Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, and Thyme - photo 1
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Recipe for: Mazurian Focaccia with Grilled Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, and Thyme

Spicy Cakes and Bakes Regional Cuisine of Poland Grilling 120 min Medium 0 views ~16.70 PLN * - (0)
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Description

Mazurian focaccia is a summer variation of the classic Italian flatbread, enriched with the aroma of grilled peppers, sweet cherry tomatoes, and fresh thyme. The inspiration comes from the simple cooking style of the Mazury region: homegrown, seasonal vegetables, a rustic appearance, and simple, intense flavors. The crust is golden and slightly crispy from the oil, while the interior is moist and soft with air pockets typical of focaccia. Grilled peppers bring a smoky sweetness, tomatoes add tartness and juiciness, and thyme evokes the summer herb meadows of the region. Serve warm as an appetizer to cold soup, alongside a cucumber and cheese salad, or as a base for sandwiches with smoked trout; it works great for summer grilling and picnics.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (12)

Servings:
6
  • Wheat flour 500 g
  • Water 350 ml
  • Fresh yeast 20 g
  • Sugar 10 g
  • Rapeseed oil 90 g
  • Pepper 400 g
  • Tomato 1.5 pcs (~180 g)
  • 🌿 Spices
  • Salt 12 g
  • Thyme 30 g
  • Black pepper 4 pinch (~2 g)
  • ✨ Optional
  • Garlic 2 clove (~10 g)
  • Cheese 100 g
💰 Estimated dish cost: ~16.70 PLN (2.78 PLN/serving)
* Prices missing for some ingredients

💡 Click an ingredient to mark it as used

Preparation steps

Cake

1

Prepare the starter: measure 100 ml of water and gently heat it to a temperature of about 35°C (it should be warm to the touch, not hot). Crumble the fresh yeast into a small bowl, add 10 g of sugar, and pour in the warm water. Stir with a spoon until the yeast dissolves. Set aside for 8-10 minutes in a warm place — a foam should form on the surface and a fermentation smell should develop.

Ingredients: Fresh yeast, Water, Sugar
Use a kitchen thermometer if you have one; otherwise, check the temperature with the inside of your wrist. If there is no foam after 10 minutes, the yeast is inactive — use fresh yeast.
2

In a large bowl, place the wheat flour. Make a small indentation in the center of the flour. Pour the active starter into the indentation, gradually add the remaining 250 ml of water, and 60 g of rapeseed oil, and sprinkle 12 g of salt around the edges (not directly on the yeast). Start to combine the ingredients with a wooden spoon or your hand, bringing the flour from the sides to the center, until a loose, sticky dough forms.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, Water, Rapeseed oil, Salt
Use a large bowl (at least 3 l) and a wooden spoon or a mixer with a hook. Do not add all the water at once — the consistency should be sticky but uniform.
3

Knead the dough for 7-10 minutes: if using a mixer, use the hook on low speed for 6-7 minutes; if by hand, knead for about 8-10 minutes, folding the dough towards the center and pressing with your hands. The dough is ready when it stops sticking strongly to your hands (it can be slightly sticky), and becomes smooth and elastic.

Ingredients: Wheat flour
Use a mixer with a dough hook or place the mixture on a clean countertop. If the dough is very sticky, lightly dust your hands with flour — avoid adding too much flour, as it will become tough.
4

Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly greased with oil (use about 10 g of oil), turn it once so that the top is coated with a thin layer of oil. Cover with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for 60-75 minutes — the volume of the dough should double.

Ingredients: Rapeseed oil, Wheat flour
The best place is a dark kitchen cabinet or an oven turned off with the light on. Do not cut the fermentation time — full rising gives the structure to the focaccia.

Grilling vegetables

5

Prepare the peppers: cut each pepper in half, remove the seeds and white membranes. Drizzle lightly with oil (about 10 g in total) and sprinkle with a little salt. Preheat the grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill the peppers skin side down for 6-8 minutes, until the skin starts to blacken and blister; turn them to soften all over. After grilling, place the peppers in a bowl and cover with foil for 10 minutes — this will make it easier to remove the skin.

Ingredients: pepper, Rapeseed oil, Salt
Use kitchen gloves. If you don't have a grill, use the oven in grill mode (200-230°C) on a baking sheet lined with foil for 15-20 minutes, until the skin is charred.
6

After cooling, remove the skin from the pepper with your fingers or a knife — it should come off easily. Cut the pepper into long strips about 2-3 cm wide. If you are using garlic (optional), finely chop it and mix it with 10 g of oil to create an aromatic dressing for spreading on the focaccia.

Ingredients: pepper, Garlic, Rapeseed oil
Use a wide-bladed knife and a cutting board. If the pepper doesn't want to peel, the skin wasn't charred enough — you can leave it for extra texture.

Assembling and baking

7

Prepare the pan: use a rectangular baking dish 30x40 cm or a springform pan of similar size. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper and lightly grease with oil (about 10 g). Transfer the risen dough to a lightly floured surface, shape it into a rectangle that fits the pan. Gently move it to the prepared pan and stretch it with your fingers vigorously but carefully to fill the corners — do not use a rolling pin, as it will crush the air in the dough.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, Rapeseed oil
Use hands greased with oil instead of flour to stretch the dough more easily. It's best to work quickly so the dough doesn't deflate.
8

After stretching the dough with your fingers, make characteristic indentations: press with your fingertips every 2-3 cm, applying slight pressure until you reach the bottom of the pan, creating an uneven surface with dips for oil and toppings. Let the dough rest in the pan for 20 minutes, covered with a cloth.

Ingredients: Rapeseed oil, Wheat flour
The indentations should reach about 1 cm deep — these are traps for oil and toppings, which will create a crispy surface.
9

Spread strips of grilled bell pepper on the dough and scatter halved cherry tomatoes over the surface so that part of them sticks out above the dough. Drizzle the remaining canola oil (about 20 g) over everything. Sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves and dust with 2 pinches of black pepper. If you are using cheese (optional), grate it and sprinkle a thin layer on top.

Ingredients: pepper, Tomato, Rapeseed oil, Thyme, Black pepper, Cheese
Arrange the ingredients by gently pressing them into the indentations so they don't fall off after baking. Additionally, you can add cheese to enhance the flavor.

Baking

10

Preheat the oven to 230°C (top-bottom). Place the dish in the preheated oven on the middle rack and bake for 18-22 minutes, until the crust is browned and the top is golden. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes.

Ingredients: Wheat flour, pepper, Tomato
Use the convection setting if you need faster and more even browning, but reduce the temperature by 10-15°C. Check with a toothpick: the cake is done when the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.

Finishing

11

Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool on a rack for 5-7 minutes. Immediately after taking it out, drizzle with an additional 10 g of rapeseed oil, lightly sprinkle with coarse salt (a few pinches), and add fresh thyme leaves for aroma.

Ingredients: Rapeseed oil, Thyme, Salt, Garlic
Use a kitchen brush to evenly spread the oil. If you added garlic to the oil earlier, remember that garlic burns easily — it's better to add it to the oil after removing the focaccia from the oven.

Serving

12

Cut the focaccia into 6 large pieces with a serrated knife or tear pieces by hand. Serve warm or at room temperature as a side to summer salads, with cottage cheese, or as a base for a sandwich with smoked meat.

Ingredients: Thyme, Tomato, pepper
Use a large wooden serving board and a sharp knife. Focaccia tastes best on the same day; if it cools down, it can be reheated in the oven for 5-7 minutes at 180°C.

Fun Fact

💡

Focaccia originates from northern Italy, but in different regions of Europe, it takes on local forms. The 'Mazurian' version highlights the use of seasonal grilled vegetables and herbs, which aligns with the tradition of simple, homemade dishes of the region.

Best for

piknik letni grill przystawka na przyjęcie

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve warm, drizzled with extra oil and sprinkled with fresh thyme. It pairs wonderfully with herbed cottage cheese, cucumber soup, or as a side dish with smoked trout. When slicing, leave the inside slightly moist — do not cool it down too long before serving.

🥡 Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours, but before serving, reheat for 5-8 minutes at 180°C to restore crispness. You can also freeze cut pieces in plastic bags for up to 1 month; thaw slowly and refresh in the oven.

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