A BIT OFF TOPIC

by Karen P’ng

Make an epic focaccia sandwich at home

This focaccia sandwich is so easy to make at home and it tastes like a fresh party in your mouth.

2–3 minutes
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I either constantly have food on my mind or get so busy during the day that I forget to eat lunch. I’m trying to make sure I don’t do the latter as much… So, last week I made an incredible focaccia sandwich at home, and the best part was that it was so easy to make.

Check out my Reel or TikTok for a quick recap on how I made my sandwich (with some ASMR).

Even if you don’t watch to the end of the vlog, you can hear the crunchiness of my first bite into the focaccia at the beginning. It’s so satisfying!

Ingredients

I kept the fillings simple for this sandwich, but together they taste amazing! You could say it was inspired by the Caprese salad. All I used were:

  • Fresh mozzarella
  • Tomato
  • Avocado
  • Basil
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Of course, you can add anything you want to your sandwich.

The hero ingredient was the focaccia bread. I haven’t perfected my own homemade version yet, so I decided to treat myself to a focaccia from my local bakery called Goodwood Bakeshop in Marrickville.

You could have the focaccia on its own, because it’s loaded with pumpkin, goats cheese and sage. So, you can see why it doesn’t need much in the sandwich.

FYI – Goodwood Bakeshop is only open Thursday to Sunday from 7am. It gets hella busy on the weekend and things sell out fast – there’s usually a line before 8am. I’m so lucky to live right across from this bakery, so I usually pop by on a Thursday or Friday.

Making the sandwich

Step 1: Toast the focaccia

I like my focaccia to be warm and crunchy, so I usually throw mine back into a preheated oven (approx. 180 degrees C) for about 10-15 minutes. You can definitely eat it fresh, but I’d recommend heating it a little if it’s a day old.

Step 2: Prep all your fave sandwich fillings

My fillings were super simple, so all I did was:

  • Cut the fresh mozzarella ball into thick slices (around 1cm thickness)
  • Slice up tomatoes
  • Peel and slice an avocado

I also picked some fresh basil that I’ve been growing on my balcony.

We bought basil and mint bout 3 weeks ago and even I’m surprised that they’re thriving.

It’s nice to have fresh herbs on hand instead of buying a bunch and then having them wilt away.

Step 3: Cut up your focaccia bread

I knew the focaccia was almost ready, because my apartment was starting to smell like the amazing toppings. Once it was out of the oven, I transferred it over to a big wooden board to cut up the sandwich slices I wanted.

Step 4: Assemble the sandwich

I don’t think I need to explain much here. I drizzled the inside of the focaccia with olive oil, and just threw the avocado, tomato and mozzarella slices on top. Finished off with some salt and pepper.

Seriously though, it’s meals like this that make me NEVER want to skip a meal ever again.

PS. Here’s an expectation vs. reality of creating food content. The finished reel or TikTok might look great, but what you don’t usually see is the MESS involved. 🫣

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