Baked focaccia with a cold, smørrebrød-style finish
Potato, Dill & Smoked Salmon Focaccia (Nordic-Inspired)
A warm potato-and-dill focaccia crowned after baking with cold smoked salmon, lemony crème and fresh dill — the fresh, briny flavors of a Nordic smørrebrød.
- Total
- 5 hr
- Hands-on
- 35 min
- Hydration
- 71%
- Skill
- intermediate
By FocacciaRecipe editorial · Updated 2026-07-05 · In editorial development; independent bake-test pending
The short version
Bake a potato-and-dill focaccia at 230°C/450°F for 22–26 minutes, cool it, then top the cooled bread with smoked salmon, a lemon-dill crème fraîche, thin red onion and fresh dill — the salmon and crème go on after baking, never in the oven.
Why this works
Cold-smoked (cured) salmon is silky precisely because it is not cooked; baking it would dry it out and turn it grey, so it is added cold as a finish. Baking thin potato and dill into the dough gives an earthy, herby base that carries the cold topping, and the lemon-dill crème keeps everything bright and moist.
The schedule
~45m hands-on of 4.7h total · same day
- Mix & fold · 45m
- Bulk ferment · 2h
- Proof · 1h
- Bake · 24m
- Cool · 30m
Terracotta is active work; olive is unattended rising; red is the bake.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
Slice and dress the potatoes
Slice the potatoes paper-thin on a mandoline and toss with the 15 g oil and 1/4 tsp salt.
Look for: Translucent-thin slices evenly coated in oil.
Avoid: Thin slices (~2 mm) cook through in the bake; thicker ones stay hard.
- 2
Mix the dough
Whisk flour and yeast, add water and 15 g of the oil, then salt. Mix to a shaggy, sticky dough.
Look for: Wet and tacky but cohesive.
- 3
Bulk ferment with folds
Do 2–3 stretch-and-folds over 90 minutes, then rest until nearly doubled.
Look for: Puffy and bubbly.
- 4
Pan and proof
Oil the pan with the remaining dough oil, add the dough, stretch toward the edges, and proof until puffy, about 1 hour.
Look for: Dough fills the pan and jiggles when nudged.
- 5
Dimple, top with potato and bake
Dimple all over with oiled fingers. Scatter the chopped dill and lay the potato slices in overlapping rows across the surface. Bake at 230°C/450°F for 22–26 minutes until the crust is deep gold and the potatoes are tender and crisp-edged.
Look for: Potato edges curl and brown; the base is crisp when a corner is lifted.
- 6
Cool completely (important before the cold finish)
Slide the focaccia onto a rack and cool to at least warm-to-the-touch, about 30 minutes.
Look for: The bread is no longer hot — a hot surface would wilt the salmon and melt the crème.
Avoid: Do not add the salmon or crème to hot bread; the heat spoils the salmon’s silky texture and slackens the crème.
- 7
After baking: add the cold finish
Stir the lemon zest and a squeeze of juice into the crème fraîche. Spread or dollop it over the cooled focaccia, drape the smoked salmon, scatter red onion, capers and plenty of fresh dill, and grind over black pepper. Slice and serve.
Look for: The salmon stays glossy and satiny; the crème sits in soft pools without running.
What good looks like
- Crumb: Open and airy, herby with baked-in dill.
- Crust: Crisp base with crisp-edged potato; a cool, fresh top.
- Height: About 3 cm tall before topping.
- Color: Golden crust and burnished potatoes under a cool salmon-and-crème finish.
If something went wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dry, grey, chewy salmon | Salmon baked in the oven | Always add cold-smoked salmon after baking, onto cooled bread — never bake it. |
| Runny, sliding crème | Bread still hot when topped | Cool the focaccia fully before adding the crème and salmon. |
| Potatoes still hard | Sliced too thick | Slice ~2 mm on a mandoline and coat in oil so they cook through. |
Storing & reheating
Storage: Best assembled and eaten fresh. Store the plain baked focaccia (no cold topping) covered 1 day and top just before serving.
Freezing: Freeze only the plain baked focaccia up to 1 month; never freeze the assembled version.
Reheating: Gently warm the plain base if desired, cool it again, then add the cold topping. Never reheat once the salmon and crème are on.
Contains wheat/gluten, dairy (crème fraîche) and fish (salmon).
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.
Fresh — buy local
- Potatoes (opens Amazon) ↗ — Any waxy potato; buy fresh.
- Fresh herbs (opens Amazon) ↗ — Fresh is best; a windowsill pot works well.
- Meat / seafood (opens Amazon) ↗ — From a butcher or deli; pre-cook before topping.
- Crème fraîche (opens Amazon) ↗ — A common item; buy fresh or from your pantry.
- Onions (opens Amazon) ↗ — A kitchen staple; buy fresh.
- Fresh vegetables (opens Amazon) ↗ — Buy fresh and in season.
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 salmon on top?
- No — cold-smoked salmon is cured, not cooked, and baking dries it out and turns it grey. Add it cold after the focaccia has cooled.
- Can I use hot-smoked salmon instead?
- Yes — flake hot-smoked salmon over the cooled bread. It is a different, firmer texture but also added after baking.
Keep baking
In these collections
Source: https://www.focacciarecipe.com/recipes/potato-dill-smoked-salmon-focaccia · © 2026 FocacciaRecipe.com
In editorial development — this recipe has not yet completed physical bake-testing.