Yeasted Meatball Stuffed Pull-Apart Focaccia
Pillowy same day focaccia balls dipped in garlic butter, rolled in a crisp parmesan coating, and stuffed with a juicy baked meatball, marinara, and melted mozzarella. Built on my same day focaccia dough just a few hours from bowl to table.
Servings: 25 focaccia balls
Calories: 210kcal
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Danish dough whisk or large spoon
- 9x13 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Two shallow bowls or plates (for dipping and coating)
- Food processor (for grating parmesan to a fine texture) if needed
- Rimmed baking sheet (for meatballs)
- Plastic wrap or a lid
Ingredients
FOR THE SAME DAY FOCACCIA DOUGH:
- 500 g bread flour 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons, spooned and leveled
- 375 g warm water 1½ cups plus 1½ tablespoons, see notes on hydration
- 5 g instant yeast 1½ teaspoons OR 5 g active dry yeast (1½ teaspoons)
- 9 g fine sea salt 1½ teaspoons
FOR THE GARLIC BUTTER COATING:
- 60 g unsalted butter melted (about 4 tablespoons)
- 60 g avocado oil or olive oil about ¼ cup
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 g dried parsley about ½ teaspoon
FOR THE PARMESAN CORNSTARCH COATING:
- 16 g cornstarch about 2 tablespoons
- 180 g finely grated parmesan cheese about 2 cups
- 2 g dried parsley about ½ teaspoon
FOR THE ASSEMBLY:
- 25 baked and cooled meatballs see Easy Homemade Baked Meatballs recipe
- 120 g marinara sauce about ½ cup, roughly ½ teaspoon per ball
FOR FINISHING:
- 112 g low moisture mozzarella cheese shredded (about 1 cup, optional)
Instructions
Mix the dough.
- There are two ways to do this depending on your yeast. Follow only the method that matches your yeast, then continue with the rest of the recipe.
METHOD A: INSTANT YEAST (no blooming needed)
- Combine the 500 g bread flour, 375 g warm water, 5 g instant yeast, and 9 g fine sea salt in a large bowl. Mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will be very wet and sticky. Do not add more flour. Check the back of your yeast packet for the recommended water temperature, since it varies by brand. When the yeast goes straight into the flour rather than being bloomed separately, warmer water in the range your packet calls for is correct and will not harm it.
METHOD B: ACTIVE DRY YEAST (bloom the yeast first)
- Warm 60 g of the water to about 100 to 110°F, stir in the 5 g active dry yeast, and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it looks foamy and dissolved. If it does not foam at all, the yeast may be dead or the water was too hot, so start over with a fresh batch rather than risking a dough that will not rise. Add the bloomed yeast to the bowl along with the 500 g bread flour, the 9 g fine sea salt, and the remaining warm water, then mix until no dry flour remains.
- Rest the dough. Cover the bowl and rest for 30 minutes.
Stretch and fold.
- First set. Wet your hands. Grab one side of the dough, stretch it up as far as it will go without tearing, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat for four folds total. That is one set. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold, second and third sets. Repeat the same set every 30 minutes for a total of three sets, or up to four if the dough still feels slack. With each set the dough will become smoother, stronger, and more elastic.
Bulk rise.
- After the final set, cover and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size and visibly bubbly, approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. Watch the dough, not the clock. A warmer kitchen will speed this up significantly.
Bake the meatballs.
- While the dough rises, bake your meatballs if you have not already done so and let them cool completely to at least room temperature. They must be fully baked and cooled before they go anywhere near the dough.
Prepare the garlic butter coating.
- Melt the butter and oil together in a small bowl, then stir in the minced garlic and dried parsley. Set it aside somewhere warm enough that it stays liquid.
Prepare the parmesan coating.
- Add the finely grated parmesan and cornstarch to a food processor and pulse until fine and powdery, then stir in the dried parsley. For the best texture, cut a block of parmesan into cubes and process it until it resembles coarse sand before adding the cornstarch. Pregrated refrigerated parmesan also works well and saves time.
Set up your workspace.
- Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper and have the garlic butter, the parmesan coating, and the lined pan within reach before you start portioning.
Portion and coat the dough.
- Wet or lightly oil your hands, since this is still a wet dough and it will be sticky. Tear off a golf ball sized piece of dough, dip it into the garlic butter until all sides are coated, then roll it in the parmesan coating until evenly covered and place it in the prepared pan. Repeat until all 25 balls are coated and arranged in five rows of five with only a small amount of space between them. This recipe is customizable for the size of balls you want, though I would stay around 5x5 for 25 balls or 4x5 for 20 balls with the meatball size suggested so there is enough dough surrounding each meatball.
Second proof.
- Cover the pan with a lid or plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, until the balls look light and puffy and have expanded toward each other. Give it up to 1.5 hours in a cool kitchen. Do not over proof. They should be puffy and press together, not collapse when you touch them.
Stuff the meatballs.
- Press one cooled meatball firmly into the center of each focaccia ball, pushing it down so the dough comes up around the sides while the top of the meatball stays visible and exposed. You are cradling the meatball, not burying it.
- Add the marinara. Spoon about half a teaspoon of marinara sauce on top of each meatball, directly into the well where the dough meets the meat. Keep the sauce thick rather than watery so it does not make the dough soggy.
Preheat the oven.
- Preheat to 425°F and make sure it is fully preheated before the pan goes in.
Bake.
- Bake the assembled pan for 20 minutes, until the dough is set and beginning to turn golden.
- Add the cheese. Pull the pan out and quickly add a generous pinch of shredded mozzarella on top of each ball, directly over the meatball and sauce. Work fast to keep the heat in the oven, then return the pan immediately.
- Finish baking. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the mozzarella is fully melted and bubbling and the tops of the dough balls are deep golden. If the cheese begins to darken faster than you would like, loosely tent the pan with foil for the final few minutes. If you are skipping the cheese entirely, bake for a total of 30 to 35 minutes in one stretch without opening the oven.
Rest and serve.
- Let the pan cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. The meatballs retain significant heat, so give it those few minutes before tearing in or you will burn your fingers. Serve with extra warm marinara on the side for dipping.
Notes
On hydration
This dough runs at 75% hydration, slightly lower than the 80% in my plain same day focaccia, and that is on purpose. A stuffed pull-apart has a job a plain loaf does not, which is holding its shape around a meatball through a second proof and a bake without slumping or letting the filling sink. The slightly firmer dough gives you balls that stay round and cradle the meatball properly. It is still a wet, sticky dough by most standards, so do not add more flour, and use wet or lightly oiled hands for portioning and coating. If you want a more open crumb and do not mind the balls spreading a little more, you can take the water up to 400 g (1⅔ cups) to match the plain focaccia.
On yeast and water temperature
Instant yeast goes directly into the dough with no blooming required. Check the back of your yeast packet for the recommended water temperature, as it varies by brand. When the yeast is mixed into the flour rather than bloomed separately, warmer water in the range your packet recommends is correct and will not harm it. If you only have active dry yeast, use the same amount but bloom it first in water heated to about 100 to 110°F for 10 minutes until foamy, then add the flour.
On stretch and folds
Three sets is usually enough to develop the gluten, but let the dough be your guide. If it still feels slack and weak after the third set, give it a fourth. You are looking for a smooth, stretchy, elastic dough that holds together when you lift it. A same day dough does not get the long ferment that builds strength passively overnight, so you are building that strength by hand instead.
On timing
Watch the dough, not the clock. Kitchen temperature has a significant effect on how fast yeast ferments, and a warm kitchen in summer will shorten both the bulk rise and the pan proof considerably. The yeasted second proof moves faster than the sourdough version, so start checking the pan at the 1 hour mark rather than walking away for two.
On flour
Bread flour is strongly recommended. Its higher protein content builds more gluten, which gives the dough the structure to trap air and hold its shape around each meatball. Bread flour also absorbs more liquid than all purpose. All purpose flour will work but will produce a denser crumb and softer balls.
Meatball options
Homemade meatballs give the best result, but store bought or frozen meatballs work as a weeknight shortcut. They must be fully baked and cooled to at least room temperature before pressing into the dough. Never press a raw or frozen meatball into raw focaccia dough, because it will not cook through properly in the time it takes the bread to bake and it will stop the surrounding dough from rising correctly.
Parmesan coating tip
The cornstarch is what makes this coating work. It helps the parmesan adhere to the dough and creates a crisper exterior as it bakes. Arrowroot powder can be substituted 1:1 if you prefer. Avoid soft cheeses here, since they make the coating too wet to stick.
Mozzarella tip
Shredding your own block of low moisture mozzarella gives the best cheese pulls. Bagged shredded cheese contains additives that keep it from melting and stretching well. Provolone gives a more classic meatball sub flavor and American cheese produces maximum gooeyness.
Kitchen scale
For best results, weigh the flour, water, and salt with a kitchen scale rather than measuring by volume. Volumetric measuring at this hydration leaves too much room for error, and the cup measurements are approximate.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes to bring back the crisp coating. The microwave works in a pinch but softens the exterior.
Make ahead
The meatballs can be baked up to 4 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months and thawed overnight. The dough can also be mixed, folded, and bulk risen, then refrigerated overnight and brought back to room temperature before portioning if you want to split the work across two days.
Sourdough version
If you keep an active starter, the sourdough version of this recipe is the first card on this post. It ferments overnight for 8 to 12 hours and everything from the coating through the assembly and bak
