Eggplant Focaccia With Ricotta and Olives Recipe (2024)

Made this last night with outstanding results! Dough set up on parchment paper on sheet pan had crisp edges and bottom. After 20 minutes, I turned up heat to 425 because eggplant and tomatoes were not sizzling. Eggplant remained limp so I removed the slices and found crust soggy beneath. Gave it another 5 minutes to dry/crisp and blasted eggplant separately before reassembling. Rewarmed for serving with halves of ciliegine mozzarella just melted. Next time: brief pre-bake of crust then veg.

I recommend peeling the eggplant which makes it less bitter.

Well worth the effort. I did pre-bake the crust for 5 minutes. Very nice...

Good, tasty recipe. One issue was that the focaccia was pretty damp around where the tomatoes were. It prevented the dough from browning properly and having the ideal texture. Probably if I make it again I will follow commenter Carol's advice and prebake the crust before adding all the toppings. Also would bake at higher temp, 425 - 450, not 400. Had to bake it much longer than suggested.

"Sweat" the eggplant first. Slice and salt on both sides and put on paper towels or tea towels and let sit. The salt draws the moisture out of the eggplant and it beads on top. You can give it a quick wipe to remove some of the salt if you want. That tip is from Julia Child's cookbook from the 1980's called "The Way to Cook".

Made with zucchini instead of eggplant. Turned out great. Heaven with some lemon juice squeezed on it.

Thanks for the helpful tips everyone! I brushed the flavored oil onto the eggplant slices to distribute it evenly. Set temp to 425˚ and prebaked the crust for 5 min before topping. Crisped up the eggplant with 2 min under broiler at the end.I used goat cheese instead of ricotta—it was delicious! I'll make this again.

First time I made this recipe I implemented some people's advice and pre baked dough for 5 minutes at 425 and then put toppings and baked an additional 20 minutes. It was delicious but too crispy for our taste. Second time I made it, I decided to pre bake eggplant for 15 minutes at 400. I then mixed the pre baked eggplant and fresh sliced tomatoes with the garlic infused oil and olives. I spread mixture on top of dough and baked at 400 for 25 minutes. Perfection. Served with buffalo mozzarella.

Melissa Clark's first rule of cooking: If there is some way I can sneak in "optional" anchovies, why not?

Looking at the notes of those who have cooked and had issues with the eggplant. Has anyone tried roasting the eggplant separately before putting on the focaccia? I'm going to try this myself later this week.

This was a disappointment. I changed nothing in this recipe. The focaccia never browned and it was quite flat with little crumb. Perhaps it was because it had so many toppings. I have never rolled focaccia dough before placing it on the sheet pan. I prefer the method of letting it rise for a second time and then dimpling it with my fingertips. The toppings were delicious.

Can I make this with all-purpose flour?

I added some roasted pine nuts after it cooked which added a very nice flavor. I also added some garden-fresh green pepper thinly sliced. I agree the eggplant didn’t crisp, but it was still very tasty. I’ll definitely make it again (and since my eggplant is coming in fast, maybe tomorrow!)

This was terrific - I let the dough rest overnight in the fridge and prebaked the crust for 10 minutes before adding toppings. Another 30-35 minutes in the oven to brown and used goat cheese. Yeaah!

Made this two days ago. It was not great. The eggplant never got really brown, on hindsight I should have raised the temperature to 450. Overall was bland, a-lot of effort. It's not focaccia dough, quite brittle around the edges and soft in the middle. Also I added crumbled goats cheese. Having read the notes, I would definitely make the bread first, use a fork over the bread to punch small wholes and use squash instead or heirloom tomatoes.

I made this the night before, refrigerated it, and took on a picnic. I carried the container of ricotta cheese, some fresh basil, a pepper shaker and some nice olive oil and we each topped our slices as desired. It was perfect! I plan to make it again for a potluck. I will prepare ahead, do the toppings at the location and cut into smaller slices. Wonderful flavor!

The recipe didn't seem similar to any focaccia I had ever made, but I decided not to deviate from the recipe for my first time making it. I wish I had par baked the crust as other commenters did. Instead, I added the toppings before I started baking and ended up with a flatbread with very crispy edges and a soggy middle. The eggplant is excellent as prepared, though I had to give it a one or two minutes of broiling to get it to brown. I'd do this recipe again but I'd par bake next time.

Made this tonight and it turned out great. I used smoked castelvetrano olives because that’s what I had on hand. Instead of tossing the eggplant with thyme or oregano, I used my favorite dried Italian seasoning. Cranked the oven to 425 and let it go for about 38 minutes. I drizzled on some balsamic glaze after it cooled and placed extra ricotta on the table. The smoked olives added a layer of rich flavor. The balsamic glaze brightened everything up.

Pre bake crust for about 5 minutes. Add vegetables and bake on 425. Add mozzarella and finish baking 450 F

If you're making a pizza, make a pizza. This dough didn't work for me, just not much rise on the proof before the oven. I just think it is better for the home cook to just dial in that pizza dough and make a pizza. Focaccia is good and all, but this is a loaded focaccia, aka a pizza. I had some really nice small farm stand eggplant and they just did not shine in this recipe. All in all a fair dough with a fair topping. If I were to do it again, capers would be an obvious choice to add

Putting a damp cloth on a dough in a bowl is all well and good. Putting a damp cloth on a dough that is rising in a sheet pan weighs down the dough and stops it rising. Use a plastic bag or better yet another sheet pan upside down if ya got it

Put your oven on roast, not bake, to get more browning on top. Fresh mozzarella was a good pick.

In the universe I live in there is no way to make this amount of dough cover an 11x17 sheet pan. Maybe a half sheet. Or double the dough.

I chopped the eggplant and added it to oil. It covered the dough better.

This focaccia could not have been better.! The crust, though not the traditional, softer focaccia I know, was crisp and rich with olive oil. The toppings were delicious. I followed the recipe to a T, but based on some of the other suggestions that it was soggy, I started the baking in a convection setting of 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then switched to a conventional setting of 400 degrees for another 20 minutes.

I made the recipe exactly as instructed. I avoided the crispy eggplant recommendations because no where in the description of the recipe did they mention crispy eggplant. I baked at 400 and the crust was browned nicely with excellent crumb. I see many reviews with complaints about the lack of browning of the crust and I have to wonder if it isn't due to an incorrectly calibrated oven. This will be a regular addition to our family rotation.

followed the advice to prebake the crust 5 minutes before adding toppings and to bake at a higher temperature. was a smashing success. I recommended adding a simple salad of arugula dressed with good olive oil, salt and pepper, serving it on top of the focaccia.

@Janelle, yes! I made this tonight following Andrew Janjigian’s (formerly of Cooks Illustrated/ATK) no-knead sourdough focaccia dough recipe from his blog, Wordloaf. Fantastic results!! Per his guidance, I pressed the tomatoes into the dough 1 hour before baking. Followed all other topping instructions from this recipe. I used fairy tale eggplants, which did not get soggy and did not need to be salted in advance. Will add a few extra anchovies in the future. Absolutely delicious.

We made this for a dinner gathering of four, and we still had a couple of slices left. Really good.

Instead of ricotta I used feta and it was fantastic! Loved this recipe, looking forward to making the mushroom version next!