Buffalo Chicken Dip Pull-Apart Focaccia (Sourdough or Yeast)
This Buffalo Chicken Dip Pull Apart Focaccia combines fluffy sourdough bread with tangy buffalo chicken dip and melted cheese. Each golden Parmesan coated roll is topped with creamy buffalo chicken filling and baked to perfection. Perfect for game day parties, Super Bowl gatherings, or any time you need a crowd pleasing appetizer. The recipe includes both sourdough and yeast versions so everyone can make it.
Servings: 27 focaccia balls
Ingredients
FOCACCIA DOUGH:
- 500 g bread flour 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons
- 400 g water 1⅔ cups
- 75 g active sourdough starter (for sourdough version) ⅓ cup
- 10 g fine sea salt 2 teaspoons
BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP FILLING:
- 150 g chunk chicken, drained 5 oz or about 1 can
- 120 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature ½ cup
- 30 g ranch dressing 2 tablespoons
- 45 g Frank’s Red Hot sauce 3 tablespoons
- 50 g shredded cheddar cheese ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon
BUTTER DIP:
- 56 g melted butter 4 tablespoons
- 60 ml avocado oil or olive oil (light tasting) 4 tablespoons or ¼ cup
- 3 g dried parsley 1 teaspoon
PARMESAN COATING:
- 150 g finely grated Parmesan cheese 1½ cups
- 24 g cornstarch 3 tablespoons
DRIZZLE (CHOOSE ONE OR BOTH):
- Ranch Drizzle:
- 60 g mayonnaise ¼ cup
- 30 g buttermilk 2 tablespoons
- 8 g ranch seasoning 1 tablespoon
- 5 g lemon juice ½ teaspoon
- Additional buttermilk to thin as needed
- Blue Cheese Drizzle:
- 60 g sour cream ¼ cup
- 35 g blue cheese crumbles ¼ cup
- 15 to 20 ml regular milk 1 to 1.5 tablespoons
- 1 g salt pinch
- 5 g lemon juice 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
MAKE THE FOCACCIA DOUGH (SOURDOUGH VERSION):
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 500g bread flour, 400g water, 75g active sourdough starter, and 10g salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms with no dry flour remaining.
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let the dough rest (autolyse) for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Perform a stretch and fold: wet your hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this 4 times (one complete rotation). Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Perform one more stretch and fold using the same technique. Cover the bowl.
- Bulk fermentation: Let the dough ferment at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, or until doubled to tripled in size. Watch the dough, not the clock. Kitchen temperature will affect fermentation time.
MAKE THE BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP FILLING:
- While dough is bulk fermenting, make the buffalo chicken dip filling. Heat drained chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through.
- Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring, until well blended and warm.
- Mix in half the shredded cheddar cheese (reserve remaining for optional garnish).
- Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool completely to room temperature. This is critical. The filling must be cool before using or it will melt the butter in your dough. Once cooled, stir to check consistency. It should be thick and spreadable like paste, not runny.
SHAPE THE DOUGH BALLS:
- Lightly oil your work surface. Turn out the fermented dough onto the oiled surface.
- If the dough is too sticky, perform one stretch and fold to build structure, then gather it into a loose ball. Let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 27 equal pieces (approximately 36 to 37g each, about 2 tablespoons of dough, slightly smaller than a golf ball). You can use a kitchen scale for accuracy.
- You can just grab a hunk off of the dough ball or if you want it to be more accurate you can shape each piece into a ball by gathering the edges underneath and rolling gently on the counter with a cupped hand.
COAT THE DOUGH BALLS:
- Prepare the butter dip: In a small bowl, whisk together 56g melted butter, 60ml oil, and 3g dried parsley until combined.
- Prepare the Parmesan coating: In a separate shallow bowl, mix together 150g finely grated Parmesan cheese and 24g cornstarch until well combined.
- Prepare a 9x13 inch baking pan by lining with parchment paper and brushing generously with olive oil or butter.
- Take one dough ball and dip it into the butter oil parsley mixture, coating all sides.
- Roll the coated ball in the Parmesan cornstarch mixture until well coated.
- Place the coated ball seam side down in the prepared pan.
- Repeat with all remaining dough balls, arranging them in rows in the pan (typically 5 to 6 rows). They should be close but not quite touching.
FINAL PROOF:
- Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel.
- Let the dough balls proof for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature, or until they are puffy and touching each other. They should look noticeably larger and feel soft when gently pressed.
- To test if focaccia is properly proofed: Gently press a fingertip into the dough. If the indentation slowly springs back halfway, it’s ready. If it springs back quickly, it needs more time. If it doesn’t spring back at all, it may be slightly overproofed but will still bake fine.
ADD BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP:
- Once the dough balls are fully proofed and puffy, preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Using a small spoon or cookie scoop, take approximately ½ tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of the cooled buffalo chicken dip filling and place it on top of each dough ball.
- Using your finger or the back of a spoon, gently press the buffalo chicken dip down into the center of each dough ball, creating a dimple. The dip should sink into the dough but not break through the bottom.
- Continue until all dough balls have buffalo chicken dip pressed into them.
BAKE:
- Bake in the preheated 425°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops and bottoms are golden brown and crispy.
- If the tops begin to get too dark before the baking time is complete, loosely cover with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes.
- The internal temperature should read about 190 to 200°F when fully baked.
MAKE THE DRIZZLE AND SERVE:
- While the focaccia bakes, make your choice of drizzle.
- For Ranch Drizzle: Whisk together 60g mayonnaise, 30g buttermilk, 8g ranch seasoning, and 5g lemon juice. Thin with additional buttermilk to drizzle consistency.
- For Blue Cheese Drizzle: Mix 60g sour cream, 35g blue cheese crumbles, 15 to 20ml milk, 1g salt, 5g lemon juice, and black pepper until smooth and pourable. Add more milk as needed.
- Remove the focaccia from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Drizzle generously with ranch or blue cheese dressing (or both!) while still warm.
- Serve immediately. Pull apart individual rolls and enjoy!
Notes
YEAST SUBSTITUTION SECTION
NO SOURDOUGH STARTER? USE YEAST INSTEAD!
Don’t have sourdough starter? No problem! You can make this Buffalo Chicken Dip Pull Apart Focaccia recipe using instant yeast or active dry yeast with fantastic results. The bread turns out just as fluffy and delicious with the same irresistible pull apart texture.
REPLACE THE 75G ACTIVE SOURDOUGH STARTER WITH:
37g (about ¼ cup) all purpose flour
37g (about 2½ tablespoons) water
7g (2¼ teaspoons) instant yeast OR 9g (2¾ teaspoons) active dry yeast
USING INSTANT YEAST (RAPID RISE):
Mix everything together at once. Add the 37g flour, 37g water, and 7g instant yeast along with ALL the other recipe ingredients (the 500g bread flour, 400g water, and 10g salt) right from the start. Mix until no dry flour remains. No activation needed with instant yeast.
Rest for 30 to 60 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature. 30 minutes is standard for yeasted focaccia; 60 minutes will give you slightly more flavor development but may shorten your bulk fermentation time.
Stretch and fold. With wet hands, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this 4 times total (one complete rotation around the bowl). The dough will transform from sticky and shaggy to smoother and more cohesive.
Bulk fermentation. Cover and let the complete dough rise for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature until it doubles in size and becomes puffy and jiggly.
Continue as normal. Once doubled, proceed with the recipe exactly as written. Same shaping into balls, same butter dip and Parmesan coating, same proofing, same baking temperature and time.
USING ACTIVE DRY YEAST:
Activate the yeast. Mix the 37g warm water (100 to 110°F) with the 9g active dry yeast and ¼ teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy and bubbly. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast is dead and you need to start over with fresh yeast.
Mix everything together. Once your yeast is foamy, add it along with the 37g flour and ALL the other recipe ingredients (the 500g bread flour, 400g water, and 10g salt). Mix until no dry flour remains.
Rest for 30 to 60 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature. 30 minutes is standard; 60 minutes provides more flavor development.
Stretch and fold. With wet hands, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this 4 times total (one complete rotation around the bowl).
Bulk fermentation. Cover and let the complete dough rise for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature until it doubles in size.
Continue as normal. Proceed with the recipe exactly as written.
IMPORTANT YEAST VERSION NOTES:
Worried about wet dough? If you’re new to baking and concerned about sticky dough, start by decreasing the water in the main recipe to 360g (1½ cups). Experienced bakers can stick with the full 400g of water.
Water temperature matters: Use room temperature water for instant yeast. Use warm water (100 to 110°F) for active dry yeast.
Bulk fermentation is 2 to 3 hours instead of 8 to 12 hours with sourdough starter. The rest period is 30 to 60 minutes instead of the sourdough’s 30 to 45 minute autolyse (shorter rest = longer bulk fermentation; longer rest = shorter bulk fermentation). This is the main time difference between the two methods.
Everything else stays EXACTLY the same! Same shaping into 27 dough balls, same butter dip and Parmesan coating, same buffalo chicken dip topping, same final proof, same baking time and temperature (425°F for 30 to 35 minutes).
QUICK REFERENCE:
Flour: 37g (¼ cup)
Water: 37g (2½ tablespoons)
INSTANT YEAST: 7g (2¼ teaspoons)
ACTIVE DRY YEAST: 9g (2¾ teaspoons)
PRO TIP: Instant yeast is more forgiving and faster to use. If you’re new to baking, choose instant yeast over active dry yeast. It eliminates the activation step and produces consistent results.
TIMELINE COMPARISON:
Sourdough version: 10 to 14 hours total (mostly hands off fermentation time)
Yeast version: 4 to 6 hours total
Sourdough version: 10 to 14 hours total (mostly hands off fermentation time)
Yeast version: 4 to 6 hours total
Both versions produce incredibly fluffy, flavorful focaccia with creamy buffalo chicken dip pockets. The sourdough version has that signature tang and complexity, while the yeast version is faster and perfect for last minute game day plans.
NOTES:
FILLING TEMPERATURE:
The buffalo chicken dip filling MUST be completely cool before using. If it’s even slightly warm, it will melt the coating and create a mess. Make the filling first and let it cool while your dough ferments, or refrigerate it to speed up cooling.
FILLING CONSISTENCY:
After cooling, stir the buffalo chicken dip. It should be thick and spreadable like paste, not runny. If it’s too thin, it will leak out during baking.
DOUGH BALL SIZE:
Aim for dough balls about 2 tablespoons of dough or 36 to 37g each (slightly smaller than a golf ball). Using a kitchen scale ensures they’re all the same size and will bake evenly.
COATING TECHNIQUE:
Don’t skip the cornstarch in the Parmesan coating. It helps the coating stay crispy and prevents it from getting soggy.
PROOFING:
Watch your dough, not the clock. Kitchen temperature greatly affects rising time. The dough balls should be puffy, touching each other, and noticeably larger before you add the buffalo chicken dip.
DIMPLING TECHNIQUE:
Press the buffalo chicken dip firmly but gently into each dough ball. You want to create a nice dimple that holds the filling, but don’t press so hard that you deflate the dough completely or break through the bottom.
PROTEIN CONTENT:
Each roll provides approximately 6.5 grams of protein. A typical serving of 3 rolls gives you about 19 to 20 grams of protein, making this more substantial than typical game day appetizers.
MAKE AHEAD:
You can mix your dough in the morning, let it proof throughout the day (8 to 12 hours), then portion and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, bring to room temperature, coat, shape, and proceed with the recipe.
The buffalo chicken dip filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
STORAGE:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat wrapped in foil at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with fresh ranch or blue cheese after reheating.
FREEZING:
Baked rolls can be frozen for up to 1 month. Wrap very well in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Thaw in refrigerator overnight and reheat as directed above.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
Chicken: Use rotisserie chicken (about 2 cups shredded) instead of canned
Protein alternatives: Jackfruit for vegetarian option, or ground beef/sausage (cooked and drained) for different flavor
Dairy free: Use dairy free cream cheese, dairy free ranch, and dairy free cheese shreds
Heat level: Adjust hot sauce amount to taste. The ranch drizzle helps cool down the spice.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Serve with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and extra ranch or blue cheese dressing on the side for dipping.
