Chef Chuck's Focaccia Stuffing

Focaccia Ripieno


Homemade stuffing, made with focaccia bread, celery, onions, carrots and mushrooms is the perfect side dish to share with your family. The stuffing could be used to stuff your favorite bird, serve it with pork or bake in the oven for a vegetarian stuffing. If you don't make the homemade focaccia, use your favorite bread.


Focaccia
2 cups warm water, 110 degrees
1 tablespoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
4-5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon salt

Add 1 tablespoon of yeast to warm water and sugar, stir. Let sit for 7 minutes (until foamy). Pour into mixer bowl, set to a medium speed, add olive oil. Mix in one cup of flour at a time with salt until it forms into a ball of dough. Dust a cutting board with flour and knead dough for 3 minutes. Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil, transfer dough and cover with plastic wrap and lay kitchen towel on top. Let rise in a warm area for 1 to 2 hours. Turn out onto a floured board and roll out to fit a baking pan. Transfer to an oiled baking pan cook at 475 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool and cut in small cubes, let sit out overnight to air dry or bake in the oven at 200 degrees till bread is dried out, about 1 hour.

Focaccia Stuffing

1 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
black ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
5-6 cups focaccia bread, cubed


In a large frying pan heat olive oil and butter and saute onion, celery, and mushrooms. Add cubes of bread, fresh parsley, sage, and pour vegetable broth over, stir, add pepper to taste. Place in bird or in a covered baking dish and heat up 30 minutes in an 375 degree oven.