Vindaloo foccacia

3 October 2025 By

Fluffy, pillowy focaccia meets the bold, fiery soul of a classic vindaloo. Think bubbling crunchy oil-soaked dimples, fragrant curry leaves, sweet spiced onions, and that deep, rich Latasha’s Kitchen vindaloo paste seeping into every bite. Created by Brooke Murphy from The Tasty Spoonful.

Ingredients

Focaccia Dough

  • 500 g strong flour
  • 425 ml water (room temperature or slightly warm)
  • 5 g dried yeast (or 15 g fresh yeast)
  • 10 g salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (for greasing)

Spiced Oil Topping

  • 100 g Latasha’s Kitchen Vindaloo Paste (about 3 tbsp)
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • 4 fresh curry leaves, finely chopped
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
  • 80 ml coconut oil
  • ½ white onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil (for frying onions)

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl (or stand mixer with dough hook)
  • Digital scales
  • Dough scraper
  • Small Pyrex jug or bowl (for blooming yeast)
  • Baking tray (approx. 30 × 20 cm, deep-sided)
  • Baking paper
  • Clean tea towel or plastic wrap
  • Small saucepan
  • Frying pan
  • Heatproof spatula or spoon
  • Pastry brush

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Method

Make the dough (10 minutes active, 1½–2 hours total resting):

  1. In a Pyrex jug, dissolve the yeast in the water. Leave for 5 minutes until small bubbles form.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, water/yeast mixture, and salt. Mix until just combined.
  3. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes in a warm spot.
  4. Perform a stretch-and-fold: lift one side of the dough, fold it over itself, rotate the bowl, and repeat 4 times. Cover and rest for another 30 minutes.
  5. Repeat the stretch-and-fold once more, then rest a final 30 minutes. The dough should be soft, elastic, and airy.

Prepare the spiced oil and onions (10–15 minutes):

  1. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and lime leaves to the Latasha’s Kitchen Vindaloo Paste in a small heat proof bowl.
  2. In a small saucepan, warm coconut oil over medium-high heat. Stop before it starts to make steam/smoke.
  3. Very carefully pour the oil over the paste mixture. It should sizzle and crack.
  4. When cooled, mix thoroughly. Simultaneously heat the neutral oil in a pan and fry onions until soft but not caramelised.

Final rise and shaping (90 minutes):

  1. Line the baking tray with baking paper and brush lightly with olive oil.
  2. Transfer the dough to the tray, stretching gently to fit.
  3. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for 90 minutes, until puffy with visible bubbles.

Apply topping and bake (25–30 minutes):

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan forced 200°C).
  2. Dimple the dough with your fingers. Brush over half of the spiced oil, letting it settle into the dimples. Scatter the softened onions evenly over the top.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes.
    Check: if the onions are colouring too quickly, cover the centre loosely with foil, leaving the edges exposed to brown.
  4. Bake for a further 10–15 minutes until the focaccia is golden and springs back when pressed.

Finish, rest and serve:

  1. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with the remaining spiced oil.
  2. Cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing. This allows the crumb to set and the flavours to deepen.