Learn tips on creating edible art with veggies and herbs plus an easy focaccia pizza dough recipe!
Food art has naturally been one of my most loved hobbies growing up. Whether it's creating cinnamon hearts on my lattes, banana penguins for my little, or a floral focaccia garden- it makes eating such an exciting experience for my family and I. Plus, it is a fun way to impress your guests!
Focaccia bread art has become a delightful trend on social media, with influencers worldwide transforming this Italian classic into edible masterpieces. Using vegetables and herbs, they've created stunning designs of flowers, birds, and even charming garden critters like ladybugs. Inspired by a recent visit to a U-pick flower field, I decided to try my hand at making my own flower garden bread art.
I opted for a small batch of pizza focaccia bread—thick, fluffy, and rich in olive oil, which makes a perfect base. Adding a spicy twist, I decorated the dough with a floral design using various peppers from my backyard garden. It was not only a feast for the eyes but also a flavorful delight. Focaccia bread art is a fun and creative way to elevate homemade bread into something truly special and Instagram-worthy.
If you are looking to pick up on a new cozy day activity, I recommend checking out my focaccia art tips and an easy small batch focaccia pizza bread recipe to get you started!
What is Focaccia Bread?
Focaccia (pronounced foh-KAH-chyuh) is an Italian flatbread made with yeast, salt, flour, and generously coated with olive oil. Known for its bouncy texture and signature dimples, which are created by poking the squishy dough, focaccia is a versatile bread. It can be enjoyed plain or adorned with an array of toppings, such as vegetables, herbs, and cheese, turning it into a canvas for culinary creativity.
Let's look at the key ingredients a bit closely:
Bread flour or all-purpose flour: It can be important to measure the flour accurately since it is the main ingredient in this recipe. Choosing bread flour can result in fluffy and airier focaccia.
Instant yeast or active dry yeast: I like to proof yeast in warm water with a tiny bit of sugar. This ensures that the yeast is active and ready to help your dough rise. Once it's nice and foamy—usually after about 5 minutes—it's perfect to mix with the flour and other ingredients.
Luke-warm water: Warm water not only hydrates the dough but also activates the yeast, ensuring a good rise. A wet and sticky dough often leads to a bread with a desirable airy texture inside.
Extra-virgin olive oil: Olive oil is essential for giving focaccia its golden brown edges and rich flavor. It's incorporated into the dough, brushed on top, and applied underneath before baking. This ensures a crispy, flavorful crust.
Himalayan Salt: Mixing salt into the flour is a great way to enhance the flavor of the bread. Additionally, sprinkling flaky salt on top of the dough before baking adds a lovely crunch and extra burst of flavor.
Toppings: you can get creative with dry or fresh herbs, cheese, vegetables, and even sauce like pesto or tomato.
See below for my pizza focaccia recipe detail bread!
How to Create Focaccia Garden Art:
You can get creative with your imagination, find inspiration in nature, a painting, or on social media of course.
Flower petals:Using sliced bell peppers, grape tomatoes, and red onions is a fantastic way to add color and flavor to your focaccia bread art. You can also get creative with vegetables like zucchini or eggplant, cutting them into petal shapes for a beautiful floral design. Broccoli and cauliflower make excellent additions as well, adding texture and visual interest to your edible masterpiece.
Center of a flower:You can create a vibrant round flower center for your focaccia bread art using juicy tomatoes, savory olives, or colorful peppers. These ingredients not only add visual appeal but also bring delightful flavors to your edible masterpiece.
Flower stems: Chives, green onions, cilantro stems, roasted asparagus, and rosemary sprigs all make beautiful long stems for your flower art. I used a long banana pepper from my garden to create a stem, adding a unique touch to my design.
Leaves: Fresh cilantro, parsley, basil, broccoli, or leafy greens like baby spinach all make fantastic leaves for your focaccia bread art. They add vibrant color and a fresh, herbal aroma to your creation, making it as beautiful as it is delicious.
Background details: You can create adorable ladybugs using cherry tomatoes and olives or butterflies with mini bell pepper wings. To add even more detail, try creating grass with chives or green peppers.
Extra toppings: For a boost in flavor, add your choice of cheese and dried herbs like chili flakes and parsley before arranging your garden art on the focaccia. This will enhance the taste and create a delicious base for your bread.
My Go-To Small Batch Focaccia Pizza Dough Recipe
Easy no-knead focaccia pizza dough recipe!
Ingredients:
1 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 packet of active dry yeast
1 tsp. Himalayan salt
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. chili flakes
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tbsp. parmesan cheese
Tomato sauce or soup for dipping
Flower garden toppings( you can get creative with your own toppings or use my options:
Flower petals: About 15 thin red onion slices
Center of the flower: 1 Serrano pepper slice t
Stem: 1 long banana pepper slice
Leaves connected to the stem: 2 baby spinach leaves
Line of flowers or grass at the base: Thinly sliced bell peppers
Directions:
Combine the yeast, sugar, and water in a bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Once the yeast becomes foamy, add it to the flour mixture along with a tablespoon of olive oil. If you're using a mixer, beat at high speed with a paddle or hook attachment until the dough is sticky and well combined. Alternatively, you can mix everything using a Danish dough whisk.
Coat a small to medium glass baking dish with a teaspoon of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the dish and stretch it out with your hands to fit the size of the dish as much as possible.
Cover the dough and let it rise and double in size for about 1 hour at room temperature.
Once your dough is ready, gently poke it to create those classic dimples. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the surface, then sprinkle on your dried chili flakes, cheese, and herbs.
Let your creativity shine as you decorate your focaccia with beautiful garden art. Then, bake it for 15-20 minutes or until it's golden brown and cooked through. Serve it with warm pizza sauce!
Hungry for more information ? Check out my previous posts below
Let's connect! Share your focaccia art masterpiece with me on Instagram with the hashtag #doseofnutrition
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