Roasted-vegetable sheet-pan focaccia
Roasted Pumpkin, Feta & Macadamia Focaccia (Australian-Inspired)
A modern Australian cafe trio — sweet roasted pumpkin, salty feta and buttery native macadamia — over a tall, airy focaccia.
- Total
- 4.4 hr
- Hands-on
- 30 min
- Hydration
- 80%
- Skill
- intermediate
By FocacciaRecipe editorial · Updated 2026-07-05 · In editorial development; independent bake-test pending
The short version
Roast pumpkin until caramelized and dry, top a focaccia with the pumpkin and feta, bake at 230°C/450°F for 20–24 minutes, and scatter toasted macadamias and herbs after baking.
Why this works
Roasting the pumpkin first prevents a watery, soggy top and deepens its sweetness; feta is salty, so the dough salt is cut to 1.6%; macadamias burn and soften if baked, so they finish the loaf after the oven for buttery crunch.
The schedule
~40m hands-on of 4.2h total · same day
- Mix & fold · 40m
- Bulk ferment · 2h
- Proof · 1h
- Bake · 22m
- Cool · 10m
Terracotta is active work; olive is unattended rising; red is the bake.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
Mix the dough
Whisk flour and yeast. Add water and 40 g oil, then the reduced salt. Mix to a shaggy, very sticky dough.
Look for: Wet and sticky, pulling off the bowl in strands.
- 2
Bulk ferment with folds
Do 3 sets of stretch-and-folds over 90 minutes, then rise until doubled and bubbly.
Look for: Domed, bubble-dotted surface that jiggles when nudged.
- 3
Roast the pumpkin
Toss pumpkin cubes with 20 g oil and 1/4 tsp salt. Roast at 220°C/425°F for 20–25 minutes until caramelized and tender, then cool.
Look for: Browned edges and cubes dry to the touch, not wet or collapsing.
Avoid: Roast the pumpkin dry — wet pumpkin steams the crumb soggy.
- 4
Toast the macadamias
Toast the macadamias in a dry pan or the cooling oven until pale gold, then chop and set aside.
Look for: They turn light gold and smell buttery — they scorch fast, so watch closely.
- 5
Pan and proof
Oil the sheet pan. Stretch the dough to the edges, resting if it resists. Proof until puffy, about 1 hour.
Look for: The dough relaxes to fill the pan and springs back slowly.
- 6
Dimple and top
Dimple the dough with oiled fingers. Press in the roasted pumpkin and scatter the crumbled feta between the cubes.
Look for: Pumpkin and feta nestle into the dimples, with bare dough showing between.
- 7
Bake
Bake at 230°C/450°F for 20–24 minutes until the edges are deep gold, the base is crisp and the feta is tinged golden.
Look for: Golden crust; feta lightly browned at the edges and pumpkin caramelized further.
- 8
After baking
Cool a few minutes, then scatter the toasted macadamias and fresh herbs, and drizzle with olive oil (and honey, if using).
Look for: Macadamias stay crunchy and the herbs vivid because they never see the oven heat.
What good looks like
- Crumb: Airy and open, salty-sweet from feta and pumpkin.
- Crust: Crisp oil-fried base; caramelized pumpkin and golden feta on top.
- Height: About 3 cm tall.
- Color: Deep gold edges; browned pumpkin and feta.
If something went wrong
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soggy top | Pumpkin under-roasted and still watery | Roast pumpkin until browned and dry before topping. |
| Too salty | Dough salt not reduced for the feta | Keep dough salt at 1.6% and taste your feta first. |
| Soft, dull nuts | Macadamias baked in | Toast them separately and add after baking for crunch. |
Storing & reheating
Storage: Best fresh. Store cooled up to 2 days (contains feta).
Freezing: Freeze the plain baked focaccia; add nuts and herbs after reheating.
Reheating: Re-crisp in a 200°C/400°F oven 5–7 minutes; re-scatter nuts after.
Contains wheat/gluten, DAIRY (feta) and TREE NUTS (macadamia).
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.
- Nuts (opens Amazon) ↗ — Buy in small amounts; store cool.
- Honey (opens Amazon) ↗ — Any good honey; hot honey for spicy bakes.
Fresh — buy local
- Fresh vegetables (opens Amazon) ↗ — Buy fresh and in season.
- Cheese (opens Amazon) ↗ — Buy fresh from a good cheese counter or deli.
- Fresh herbs (opens Amazon) ↗ — Fresh is best; a windowsill pot works well.
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
- Why macadamias?
- The macadamia is a native Australian nut and a signature of modern Australian cafe cooking, adding a buttery crunch against the sweet pumpkin and salty feta.
- Can I use butternut squash?
- Yes — butternut squash roasts and behaves much like pumpkin here; just roast it dry the same way.
Keep baking
In these collections
Source: https://www.focacciarecipe.com/recipes/roasted-pumpkin-feta-macadamia-focaccia · © 2026 FocacciaRecipe.com
In editorial development — this recipe has not yet completed physical bake-testing.