Flavored pan focaccia
Chili Crisp & Garlic Confit Focaccia (Chinese-Inspired)
Mellow garlic confit baked into a tall focaccia, then finished with a glossy, crunchy spoonful of Chinese chili crisp for numbing-savory heat.
- Total
- 11.1 hr
- Hands-on
- 25 min
- Hydration
- 74%
- Skill
- beginner
By FocacciaRecipe editorial · Updated 2026-07-05 · In editorial development; independent bake-test pending
The short version
Bake a 74% hydration focaccia (500 g flour, 370 g water, 10 g salt, 4 g yeast, olive oil) over a garlic-confit base, then spoon Chinese chili crisp over the top only AFTER baking so its crunchy aromatics stay crisp.
Why this works
Chili crisp is a finishing condiment: its fried garlic, shallot and chili flakes would burn and turn bitter in a hot oven, so it goes on after the bake to keep its crunch and aroma. The garlic confit, by contrast, is already gently cooked and sweet, so it bakes into the crumb without scorching.
The schedule
~35m hands-on of 11.1h total · same day
- Mix & fold · 35m
- Bulk ferment · 2h
- Proof · 8h
- Bake · 22m
- Cool · 10m
Terracotta is active work; olive is unattended rising; red is the bake.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
Make the garlic confit
Gently cook the whole garlic cloves submerged in the 60 g olive oil over very low heat until soft, sweet and pale gold, about 20–25 minutes. Cool. Reserve the garlic oil for dimpling.
Look for: The cloves should be meltingly soft and blond — not browned. The oil smells sweet and garlicky.
Avoid: Keep the heat low; browned garlic turns bitter. Store any unused confit in the fridge and use within a few days.
- 2
Mix the dough
Whisk flour and yeast; add water and 25 g olive oil, then salt. Mix to a wet, shaggy dough with no dry flour.
Look for: Loose and sticky, clinging to the bowl.
- 3
Bulk ferment with folds
Do 2–3 stretch-and-folds over the first 90 minutes, then let rise until nearly doubled.
Look for: Bubbly, airy and extensible.
- 4
Pan and proof
Oil a 30×40 cm sheet pan. Stretch the dough to the edges (rest and repeat if it resists). Proof until puffy, about 1 hour.
Look for: The dough fills the pan and jiggles when nudged.
- 5
Dimple with garlic confit and bake
Dimple with oiled fingertips, drizzle with the reserved garlic oil, and tuck the soft confit cloves into some of the dimples (smashing a few). Bake at 230°C/450°F for 20–24 minutes until deep gold. No chili crisp yet.
Look for: The crust burnishes and the confit garlic melts into sweet golden pockets.
- 6
After baking — add the chili crisp
Cool a couple of minutes. Stir the chili crisp to bring up the crunchy solids and spoon it generously over the warm focaccia, then scatter with scallion, optional sesame and a pinch of flaky salt.
Look for: The chili crisp glistens and its fried bits stay audibly crunchy — that crunch is the point, and it only survives if added after baking.
Avoid: Never bake the chili crisp on — its fried garlic and chili flakes scorch and turn bitter. It is strictly a finishing drizzle.
What good looks like
- Crumb: Open and tender with sweet garlic pockets.
- Crust: Crisp oiled base; glossy chili-crisp-slicked top.
- Height: About 3 cm tall.
- Color: Deep gold crust under a red sheen of chili oil.
If something went wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Bitter, acrid chili flavor | Chili crisp baked in the oven | Add chili crisp only after baking — its fried aromatics burn in the oven. |
| Bitter garlic in the crumb | Confit browned over too-high heat | Cook the confit low and slow until blond and sweet, not brown. |
| Greasy, not crunchy top | Only the oil (not the solids) spooned on | Stir the jar first so each spoon carries the crunchy fried bits. |
Storing & reheating
Storage: Best the day it is baked. Refrigerate up to 2 days; the chili crisp softens, so add a fresh spoon when serving leftovers.
Reheating: Warm the plain bread in a 200°C/400°F oven 4–5 minutes, then re-spoon fresh chili crisp on top.
Contains wheat/gluten and sesame. Some chili crisps contain soy, peanuts, or shellfish — check the jar.
Tools & ingredients for this focaccia
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Core pantry
- Bread flour (opens Amazon) ↗ — High-protein bread flour or Italian “00” both work.
- Fine sea salt (opens Amazon) ↗ — Fine sea salt for the dough.
- Instant yeast (opens Amazon) ↗ — Instant (or active dry) yeast keeps for months.
- Extra-virgin olive oil (opens Amazon) ↗ — Use a good EVOO you like the taste of.
- Seeds (opens Amazon) ↗ — Keep sealed; toast for flavor.
- Flaky finishing salt (opens Amazon) ↗ — For the crunchy finish.
Specialty ingredients
- Chili crisp (opens Amazon) ↗ — Crunchy chili oil; add after baking.
Fresh — buy local
- Garlic (opens Amazon) ↗ — Fresh heads; infuse in oil rather than scattering raw.
- Onions (opens Amazon) ↗ — A kitchen staple; buy fresh.
You don’t need to buy everything here — many items are already in most kitchens. Fresh produce, cheese and herbs are best bought local and in season.
Frequently asked
- Can I bake the chili crisp into the top for a stronger flavor?
- No — its fried garlic, shallot and chili flakes scorch and turn bitter in the oven. Spoon it on after baking so it stays crunchy and aromatic.
- What is chili crisp?
- A Chinese condiment of fried chilies, garlic and shallot (often with Sichuan pepper) suspended in oil, prized for its crunch and savory, sometimes numbing heat. It is a finishing sauce.
Keep baking
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Source: https://www.focacciarecipe.com/recipes/chili-crisp-garlic-focaccia · © 2026 FocacciaRecipe.com
In editorial development — this recipe has not yet completed physical bake-testing.