Roasted Pumpkin & Rosemary Focaccia with Halloween Escabeche Garnish

What Makes This Special

This focaccia uses a roasted pumpkin purée in the dough, boosting hydration and supporting a deep orange color, while a Halloween-inspired escabeche with peppers and onions provides a seasonal, tangy garnish. Rosemary is incorporated for aromatic depth, referencing Argentine traditions and autumn.

Ingredients

This dough is high-hydration and includes roasted pumpkin which alters the gluten network and water absorption. The escabeche introduces acidity and crunch after baking. Rosemary is both baked within and as a finishing note.

For the Focaccia Dough

• 600 g strong bread flour: Structure, strength, and chew.
• 425 g water, room temperature: Hydration for extensibility and open crumb.
• 16 g fine sea salt: Controls fermentation and enhances flavor.
• 8 g instant dry yeast: Fast, reliable leavening.
• 40 g extra virgin olive oil: Tenderizes crumb, enhances flavor.
• 15 g sugar: Supports browning and fermentation.
• 200 g roasted pumpkin purée (from 400 g raw): Color, hydration, and mild sweetness.
• 2 sprigs rosemary (needles stripped, roughly chopped): Aromatic, classic pairing with pumpkin.

For Roasted Pumpkin

• 400 g pumpkin, diced (yields about 200 g after roasting and purée): Adds moisture and color.
• 40 g olive oil: Helps caramelization.
• Black pepper to taste.

For Halloween Escabeche Garnish

• 100 g orange bell pepper: Color and sweetness.
• 40 g red onion: Tang and crunch.
• 50 g white wine vinegar: Acidity for balance and preservation.
• 50 ml water: Dilutes the vinegar.
• 12 g sugar: Balances acidity.
• 6 g fine salt: Preserves and seasons.
• 1 clove garlic: Aromatic.
• 1 bay leaf: Aromatic.

For Baking and Finishing

• 60 g extra virgin olive oil: For pan and drizzling.
• Flaky salt: Surface texture and flavor.
• Additional chopped rosemary: Final aroma.

Instructions

Step 1: Roast and Purée the Pumpkin

Toss pumpkin dice in olive oil and black pepper. Spread on parchment-lined tray. Roast at 200°C (fan) for 35–45 minutes until deeply colored, dry at edges, and fully soft. Cool, then mash or process to a smooth purée. This step dries out the pumpkin for accurate dough hydration and caramelizes sugars for a deeper flavor.

Step 2: Make the Halloween Escabeche

Thinly slice orange bell pepper and red onion. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, garlic, and bay. Bring to a boil, then add vegetables. Simmer for 1–2 minutes until just softened. Strain (reserve the liquid, chill separately if desired). Cool vegetables rapidly. This technique lightly pickles the vegetables for bright flavor and crunch, maintaining orange color for Halloween effect.

Step 3: Mix the Dough

In a large bowl, combine bread flour, salt, and sugar. Separately, whisk water, yeast, roasted pumpkin purée, and olive oil until smooth. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix by hand or dough hook until no dry flour remains. Let rest, covered, 20 minutes (autolyse). This rest hydrates flour and starts gluten formation before kneading.

Step 4: Develop the Dough by Stretch and Fold

With wet hands, perform three sets of stretch and folds at 20-minute intervals (pull one edge, fold over; rotate bowl; repeat). Each fold set strengthens gluten and redistributes yeast. Dough will be sticky; resist adding flour. After the third fold, dough should be smoother and more elastic. Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature (18–22°C) for 3–4 hours, until doubled.

Step 5: Cold Fermentation

Oil a large, clean bowl. Transfer dough, cover tightly, and refrigerate 12–16 hours. This slow fermentation develops flavor and extensibility. Dough should increase in volume by half, not collapse.

Step 6: Prepare the Pan and Shape

Oil the baking tray with half the remaining olive oil. Turn dough out onto tray, gently stretch/press to fill pan (it will resist; let it rest, covered, 15 minutes if needed). Do not deflate completely. Dimple dough deeply with fingertips. Drizzle remaining olive oil over the surface, scatter flaky salt and additional rosemary.

Step 7: Final Proof

Cover loosely and proof at room temperature 1–2 hours, until dough is very puffy and jiggles when tray is shaken. Under-proofed dough will be dense; over-proofed may collapse in oven.

Step 8: Bake

Bake at 220°C (fan) for 23–28 minutes, rotating tray once, until deep golden on top, edges crisp, and loaf pulls away from sides. Internal temperature should be at least 94°C. Transfer to wire rack immediately to prevent steaming and sogginess. Cool 20 minutes before garnishing.

Step 9: Garnish and Serve

Scatter escabeche vegetables over the focaccia in patches for orange/black Halloween effect. Optionally, brush with a little reserved escabeche liquid. Cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pro Tips

• Oil your hands for handling the sticky dough; resist adding extra flour which will toughen the crumb.
• Roasting the pumpkin to near-dryness prevents excess moisture in the dough, which could collapse the structure.
• Chill both dough and escabeche for best texture and flavor development.

Troubleshooting

Dough too slack to handle? Chill longer and use oiled hands; inadequate gluten development or too much pumpkin moisture.

Dense, gummy crumb? Underbaked or underproofed; check oven temperature and proof until dough is very puffy.

Variations

• Substitute sweet potato for pumpkin for a slightly different texture.
• Add roasted garlic cloves to the dough for extra depth.
• Swap oregano for rosemary for a sharper aromatic profile.

Storage

Store focaccia at room temperature, wrapped, for 24 hours. Escabeche garnish lasts refrigerated (separately) up to 5 days. Re-crisp slices in a hot oven for 8 minutes if needed.