Looking for a yummy Valentines appetizer or side that is cute, delicious, and budget friendly? This heart shaped focaccia is perfect – either for a romantic Valentine’s dinner or a fun Galentine’s party appetizer. The best part? You can make it in a square pan!
With just a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, this heart shaped focaccia is also great on a budget. While you can use or buy a heart shaped pan, you can also cut costs by using a square pan you likely already have. This post will show my trick to making it work with some aluminum foil and parchment paper.
Ingredients, Supplies & Cost
The ingredients I used: instant yeast, flour, water, olive oil, salt, and Italian seasoning.
For supplies, I only used a bowl, wooden spoon and square 9″x9″ metal pan. You’ll also want aluminum foil and parchment paper for the heart shape.
Since all the ingredients and supplies were already in my kitchen, this bread is basically free to make – girl math! On the flip side, if you buy everything new, the ingredients will cost a little over $10 at most grocery stores – which is still a great deal since you’ll have tons of leftovers of everything!
Making a Heart Shaped Focaccia in a Square Pan
To do this, I took 3 sheets of aluminum foil and loosely crumpled and shaped them to fit into the pan as show below.
After, I laid parchment paper on top, cutting slits where it wanted to bend to lay flat. Before putting my focaccia dough inside, I drizzled a little olive oil in the bottom. Otherwise, bake as you normally would!
The Focaccia Recipe
I adapted Alexandra Kitchen’s Overnight Refrigerator Focaccia to fit my needs. I’ve used this recipe a ton of times and it always turns out delicious!
My modifications:
- I halved the dough recipe with 256g flour, 1 tsp salt, ~1 tsp instant yeast (or half a packet)
- For larger groups or more bread, I recommend the full recipe with a second or larger pan instead.
- For toppings, instead of rosemary, I like Italian seasoning, which is something I always have on hand!
- Life hack: If you order catering from Maggiano’s, save the Italian seasoning they provide to dip your bread into olive oil with. It is the BEST and my favorite Italian seasoning.
Serving Ideas
There are endless ways to serve this yummy heart shaped focaccia, but here are a few of my favorites:
- Dips – olive oil, balsamic, eggplant dip, etc.
- As a pizza – Before baking, add some sauce and your favorite toppings and cheese for a yummy pizza. A great date night meal/activity!
- Side dish to – saucy tomato pasta, runny eggs, or anything you can use the bread to soak up deliciousness
- As grilled cheese – with a side of tomato soup! An easy yet elevated version of grilled cheese and tomato soup
Hope you enjoy this post! While a heart shaped focaccia can be enjoyed year round, here are some other fun Valentine’s posts in case the holiday is near!
