Turn up the heat with this no-knead focaccia sandwich with Rowse Chilli Fusion honey

Instagram baker and Rowse Honey Squeeze Collective member Michael Pozerskis (@doeshebakedough) has shared his original recipe for a no-knead focaccia sandwich with burrata, mortadella and Rowse Chilli Fusion.

To help people make their sandwiches even more epic, he’s also pulled together his top tips for making the ultimate sandwich at home.

What’s the secret to creating the perfect sandwich?

Texture, texture, and texture! Adding crunch to a basic sandwich is the way forward! Think crispy onions (or the classic crisp sandwich). 

What makes focaccia so special as a sandwich bread?

Focaccia is light, airy and robust, which means it can handle whatever wet or dry fillings you decide to put in it. People don’t necessarily think of focaccia as a sandwich bread but it’s perfect for it. No more sitting in the shadows – let the carb jump out!

Store-bought or home-baked?

By baking your own bread, you know exactly what goes into it. From a health perspective, I encourage you to go read the ingredients in most shop-bought loafs… that’s the kind of stuff I don’t want to be putting in my body! It’s all chemically enhanced – not for you, but for the company to speed up processes to make more money. Plus, baking your own bread is a great skill to have! Back to basics kind of stuff!

Any top tips for adding instant flavour to a sandwich?

Use honey! The sweetness from just a small squeeze can help balance and enhance the flavours. Or use a chilli infused one like Rowse’s Chilli Fusion for an instant kick! 

What are the benefits of using honey in your baking?

Rowse honey adds a natural sweetness to the end result. This can help to bring the dough and all the flavours to life, and balance out the salt. Another trick is to use a squeeze of honey to activate your yeast; a small amount gives the yeast all the food it needs to spike it into action quickly, giving you consistently good results.

What’s the best way to stave off the sogginess?

Careful layering… ie don’t put tomatoes on the bottom. Or you can go one step further and lightly toast the insides (classic burger bun technique) but think about your toppings – you don’t want to go wet on wet on wet as it will be like eating a slug.

Crusts on or off?

There are no crusts on a focaccia so there’s no chance of leaving anything on the plate – but if we’re talking a straight-up sandwich… crusts on, always on. (But weirdly I would probably eat them first…).

Recipe: No-Knead Focaccia Sandwich

Preparation time: 4-5 hours

Cooking time:  20-30 minutes

Servings: 2

Inspired by Southern Italy where focaccia forms the basis of all great lunches.
This easy-to-make focaccia offers an incredibly soft, airy bread, with a great amount of strength, which makes it perfect for sandwiches!

By Michael Pozerskis (@doeshebakedough), Rowse Honey Squeeze Collective member

Ingredients

For the No-Knead Focaccia:

• 550g strong bread flour
• 410ml water
• 10g Rowse Fusion Chilli Honey
• 20ml olive oil
• 11g fine sea salt
• 7g dried yeast

For the Sandwich Filling:

• 6 large slices of mortadella with pistachios (or any quality ham you can get your hands on)
• 1 ball of Burrata (or fresh mozzarella if you can’t find any)
• 1 tsp Rowse Chilli Fusion honey
• 2 good-quality tomatoes
• Handful of fresh rocket
• Couple of leaves of basil
• Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil to drizzle

Method

Step 1: The dough…

• Add 7g yeast, 410ml water and 10g Rowse Chilli Fusion honey into a large bowl and mix until fully incorporated.  Add the flour to the wet mix and stir with a spatula until it starts to form a smooth dough. Pour in the olive oil and combine until thoroughly incorporated into the dough. Cover and leave for 15-20 minutes.
• Add the salt and vigorously mix into your dough using your spatula (alternatively, get your hands stuck in and squeeze the dough repeatedly). Keep going until the salt is incorporated and the dough is smooth (about 3 or 4 minutes).
• Cover the dough and place in a switched-off oven. Place a pan of freshly boiled water in and close it (this creates a super warm and humid environment). Leave for 1-2 hours until the focaccia dough has doubled in size.
• Line a baking tray, take your dough out and place into the tray. Cover with olive oil and lightly press the dough out towards the edges, making sure you don’t press too hard. You’ll dimple the dough later so don’t worry about this now.
• Cover and place back in the switched-off oven. Take the dough out 1-1.5 hours later and turn up your oven to 230 degrees Celsius.
• Coat your hands in olive and press the dough creating dimples, pushing the air gently out of the dough. This will create bubbles in the surface – a classic feature of any focaccia! Sprinkle some flaked sea salt over the top.
• Get the dough into the oven and turn it down to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for 15 minutes. Continue to bake until golden brown.

Step 2: Building the sandwich…

• Slice the focaccia into the number of sandwiches you’ll be making.
• Slice in half, open up, and drizzle with olive oil. Layer your slices of mortadella (or ham), the tomato, rocket, basil and the burrata.
• Finally, squeeze a generous amount of Rowse Fusion Chilli honey over the top (as much heat as you can handle!), Place the two halves together and get ready for the ultimate focaccia sandwich!