Description
This festive Christmas Tree Focaccia is a delightful and visually stunning bread perfect for holiday gatherings. Made with a simple overnight dough, it’s decorated with fresh rosemary, pear slices, cherry tomatoes, and pearl onions arranged to resemble a Christmas tree, making it both delicious and decorative.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/4 tsp coarse salt
- 1 2/3 cup warm water
Decorations & Toppings
- Pear slices (small pieces for base and topper plus additional slices)
- Pearl onions, peeled and halved
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Thinly sliced red onion
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Coarse salt for sprinkling
- Olive oil, a few tablespoons for drizzling
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, active dry yeast, and coarse salt until thoroughly combined. Add the warm water and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough is shaggy and wet. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, then let it sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours to ferment overnight.
- Shape the dough: After the dough has risen and looks bubbly and expanded, oil the bottom of a 7×12 inch casserole dish generously with olive oil. Tip the dough out of the bowl into the oiled dish and use your hands to spread it snugly to fit the shape of the dish. Dimple the surface of the dough with your fingers, drizzle with more olive oil, then cover lightly and let it rest for 2 more hours.
- Decorate the focaccia: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange fresh rosemary sprigs on the dough to mimic pine branches. Use small pear slices as the tree trunk at the bottom and an additional pear slice for the tree topper. Halve cherry tomatoes and pearl onions, placing them like ornaments scattered over the rosemary ‘branches.’ Add thinly sliced red onion if desired for extra color. Sprinkle the assembled tree lightly with coarse salt and drizzle a little more olive oil on top.
- Bake the focaccia: Place the casserole dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes until the bread puffs up, turns golden, and the toppings are set and lightly roasted.
- Serve: Allow the focaccia to rest for a few minutes after baking, then slice and serve warm as a festive appetizer or side.
Notes
- Use room temperature water to activate the yeast properly during dough preparation.
- If you don’t have pearl onions, small shallots or finely sliced red onion can be used as an alternative.
- Feel free to get creative with the decorations—other vegetables or herbs can be substituted to suit your taste or availability.
- Letting the dough rest overnight develops flavor and texture, but if short on time, it can be rested for a minimum of 4 hours, though results may vary.
- Drizzle olive oil generously to help create a crisp, flavorful crust and keep the focaccia moist.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of loaf)
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
