Making this delicious bread takes two days and a lot of olive oil, but the end result is totally worth the effort! Imagine a perfect fusion of bagel and focaccia, creating a crispy, bubbly delight bursting with the incredible flavor of everything bagel. And it gets even better when you fill it with creamy scallion cream cheese!
Everything Bagel Focaccia
Servings 8
Ingredients
**For the Focaccia:**
- 4 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 1/3 cups lukewarm water
- 8 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning
**For the Scallion Cream Cheese:**
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Black pepper to taste
- Garlic powder to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine water, salt, sugar, and active dry yeast. Mix well.
- Add all-purpose flour to the bowl and knead until a soft, elastic dough forms.
- Grease another bowl generously with olive oil.
- Transfer the dough to the greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let it sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, uncover the dough. Grease your hands with oil or water and fold the dough about 4 times, pulling the edges up and over, then rotating and repeating.
- Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes and repeat the folding process. You can repeat this for a third time if desired.
- Refrigerate the dough overnight or for 24 hours for best results.
- The next day, remove the dough from the fridge.
- Grease a 9×13-inch pan with half of the remaining olive oil (about 3 to 4 tablespoons).
- Transfer the dough to the greased pan and let it rest for 2 to 4 hours until it reaches room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top of the dough. Use your fingers coated in oil to make dimples all across the dough and sprinkle everything bagel seasoning on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top and edges are golden and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing it into squares.
- Serve with scallion cream cheese and enjoy!