These focaccia muffins are my new favorite way to make focaccia. Baking focaccia in a muffin tin gives you tall, airy bread with crisp edges and a soft, pillowy interior, thanks to the extra structure from the pan. Each one feels like its own perfectly portioned loaf, which is deeply satisfying.
The dough itself is beginner-friendly, but it does benefit from patience and paying attention to visual cues rather than the clock. My favorite trick for faster, more reliable proofing is turning your oven into a makeshift proofing drawer by placing the dough inside with a bowl of steaming hot water — oven OFF. It works like a charm.
And then there’s the butter. Good butter really does most of the work here, with Calabrian chilis adding just enough heat to keep things interesting. Spread generously while the focaccia muffins are still warm and you’ve got something truly special.
Focaccia Muffins with Calabrian Chili Butter
Ingredients
Focaccia Dough
- 6 g active dry yeast about 2¼ teaspoons
- 450 g warm water about 2 cups
- 10 g honey about 2 teaspoons
- 400 g bread flour about 2¾ cups
- 100 g whole wheat flour about ¾ cup
- 25 g extra-virgin olive oil about 3 tablespoons, plus more for pans
- 7 g kosher salt about 1¼ teaspoons
Calabrian Chili Butter
- 4 sticks unsalted butter 1 lb, room temperature
- 1½ tablespoons chopped Calabrian chilis
Instructions
- Activate the yeast: In a large bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, and honey. Stir and let sit for about 2 minutes, until bubbly.
- Mix the dough: Add the bread flour, whole wheat flour, olive oil, and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold: With wet hands, lift one edge of the dough and fold it toward the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until you’ve done four folds total. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Warm the dough: The next day, place the dough in a turned-off oven with a bowl of steaming hot water. Let sit for 30–45 minutes until the dough begins to wake up.
- Prepare the pan: Generously oil a muffin tin. Divide the dough evenly among the wells, flipping each piece to coat in oil.
- Final proof: Return the muffin tin to the off oven with a fresh bowl of hot water. Let proof for 90 minutes to 2 hours, until the dough is nearly overflowing the wells.
- Dimple and bake: Drizzle the dough with olive oil and dimple the tops with your fingers. Preheat the oven to 450°F and bake for 25–30 minutes, until deeply golden. Cool for 30 minutes.
- Make the chili butter: Whip the butter and Calabrian chilis until light and fluffy, using a mixer or by hand.
- Serve the focaccia muffins warm with generous swipes of chili butter.
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