This vegan pumpkin focaccia is the perfect homemade bread for Fall! It's crunchy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside, with a delicious sweetness from the pumpkin. Undetectably dairy-free and eggless too!
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Say hello to your new favorite homemade bread recipe! More specifically, vegan pumpkin focaccia.
My freezer is currently packed full of this deliciousness and I can't stop eating it. And I don't plan on stopping for as long as pumpkin season is around!
Focaccia is the perfect bread to make if you're new to baking. It doesn't require any fancy techniques or ingredients.
The hardest part of the process is probably waiting for it to rise. But, the patience pays off when you get to dig into a huge slice of pillowy deliciousness.
And of course, it will make your kitchen smell amazing.
The addition of pumpkin purรฉe to this vegan focaccia is what makes it extra special. I made pumpkin purรฉe from scratch using roasted pumpkin, but the canned variety also works.
The resulting flavor is subtly sweet, going perfectly well with the earthiness of the olive oil and the savory veggies. Add a pinch of flaky salt, and the result is out of this world!
How to make vegan pumpkin focaccia
Make the pumpkin purรฉe
Pumpkin purรฉe is very easy to make from fresh pumpkin. Start by preheating the oven to 180 degrees C/350 F.
Cut the pumpkin in half just beside the stem, then remove the seeds and cut it in half once again.
You can now peel it using a vegetable peeler, and proceed to cut into small, bite-sized pieces.
Drizzle the pumpkin with olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until fully softened.
Next, transfer it to a blender or food processor and blend until a purรฉe forms.
Make the pumpkin focaccia dough
Mix together the flour, salt and yeast. In a different bowl, combine water, the pumpkin purรฉe, and maple syrup.
Then, add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until thoroughly combined. At the end, mix in the olive oil.
Now, transfer the dough to a large baking tray lined with parchment paper, and stretch into a large rectangle.
Cover with cling film and allow to rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours, until roughly doubled in size.
Dimple and allow to rise again
Drizzle more olive oil on the focaccia and dimple the dough using your fingers by pressing them almost all the way through.
Allow to rise for 10-15 minutes more. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 F.
Dimple and bake
Now the fun part - decorating the focaccia! Arrange the bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms, zucchini and fresh chives on the focaccia.
Sprinkle with sea salt and dried thyme, then bake for 22-25 minutes, until crispy on the outside and golden brown.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
If you want, you can use canned pumpkin (although roasting it from scratch yields the best flavor). Around 10 oz is required for the full focaccia bread.
Be patient with it! If you want, you can even leave it to rise overnight, or while you're at work.
Add any other vegetables of your choice as a topping. You can even use extra roasted pumpkin - this is a great opportunity to use your imagination!
As for all baking recipes, I would recommend weighing the ingredients, as this will achieve the best and most accurate result.
How to store and freeze pumpkin focaccia
This vegan focaccia can be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days.
To freeze focaccia, cut it into portions, then arrange on a baking tray and freeze for an hour. Next, transfer them to freezer-friendly zip lock bags.
To reheat, firstly allow to thaw at room temperature for an hour. After that, reheat in the oven at 180 degrees C/350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
More vegan bread recipes
If you love this pumpkin focaccia, check out these other delicious bread recipes:
- Olive oil skillet bread is a must-try!
- Cinnamon bagels are perfect for breakfast.
- Zucchini bread is easy and delicious.
- Focaccia with tomatoes is a favorite of mine.
- Savory cornbread is a perfect side dish.
If you give this pumpkin focaccia a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@ohmyveggies) so I can see your creations, and leave your feedback in the comments below together with a star rating! I love hearing from you.
๐ Recipe
Equipment
- Conventional oven
- Mixing bowl x 2
- Cling film
Ingredients
- 1 lb pumpkin, around ยฝ a medium pumpkin - choose a sweet pumpkin variety for this recipe
- 5 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cups flour
- 2 tablespoon yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for garnishing
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- ยฝ large yellow bell pepper, sliced
- ยฝ large red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 large red onion, sliced
- ยฝ cup mushrooms, sliced
- ยฝ cup zucchini , sliced
- fresh chives, small bunch
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Cut the pumpkin in half just beside the stem, then remove the seeds and cut it in half once again. You can now peel it using a vegetable peeler, and proceed to cut into small, bite-sized pieces.1 lb pumpkin
- Drizzle the pumpkin with 1 tablespoon olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees C/350 F, until fully softened.5 tablespoon olive oil
- Transfer it to a blender or food processor and blend until a purรฉe forms.
- Mix together the flour, salt and yeast. In a different bowl, combine water, the pumpkin purรฉe, and maple syrup. Then, add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until thoroughly combined. At the end, mix in 2 tablespoon olive oil.5 cups flour, 2 tablespoon yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 cups water, 2 tablespoon maple syrup, 5 tablespoon olive oil
- Transfer the dough to a large baking tray lined with parchment paper, and stretch into a large rectangle. Cover with cling film and allow to rise at room temperature for 3-4 hours, until roughly doubled in size.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoon more olive oil on the focaccia and dimple the dough using your fingers by pressing them almost all the way through. Allow to rise for 10-15 minutes more.5 tablespoon olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 F.
- Arrange the bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms, zucchini and fresh chives on the focaccia. Sprinkle with sea salt and dried thyme.ยฝ large yellow bell pepper, ยฝ large red bell pepper, ยฝ cup mushrooms, ยฝ cup zucchini, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, fresh chives
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, until crispy on the outside and golden brown.
Nutrition (estimated per serving)
Janene says
This looks yummy.