Chimichurri & Roasted Pepper Focaccia (Argentine-Inspired)

Ingredients

Method

1. 1

   Make the chimichurri

   Stir together parsley, garlic, oregano, chile flakes, vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Let it sit at room temperature while you bake so the flavors marry.

   Look for: Loose, bright green, and spoonable; it should smell sharply of garlic and vinegar.

   Avoid: Keep the chimichurri raw and off the heat — it is a finishing sauce, not a bake-on topping.

2. 2

   Mix

   Whisk flour and yeast, add water and most of the oil, then salt. Mix to a shaggy, sticky dough.

   Look for: Sticky and slack; clears the bowl but clings to your fingers.

3. 3

   Bulk ferment with folds

   Do 2-3 stretch-and-folds over the first 90 minutes, then rest until bubbly and nearly doubled.

   Look for: Domed, blistered surface; airy and jiggly.

   ⏱ Set 120 min · Bulk ferment with folds
4. 4

   Pan, dimple, and add peppers

   Oil the pan, transfer and relax the dough, dimple all over, then press the pepper strips into the dimples. Proof until puffy.

   Look for: Peppers nestle below the surface so they warm through rather than drying out.

   ⏱ Set 60 min · Pan, dimple, and add peppers
5. 5

   Bake

   Bake at 230°C/450°F for 20-24 minutes until deep gold with crisp edges.

   Look for: Golden crust and a crisp base when you lift a corner.

   ⏱ Set 22 min · Bake
6. 6

   After baking — flood with chimichurri

   Cool 10-15 minutes, then spoon the chimichurri generously over the top so it soaks into the dimples. Serve the rest at the table.

   Look for: The green sauce pools in the dimples and glosses the surface; the smell of raw garlic hits immediately.

   Avoid: Spoon the chimichurri on after baking only — baked garlic and parsley turn bitter and black.