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Cacio e Pepe Chorizo Focaccia Buns

Soft, puffy little focaccia buns loaded with chunks of vintage cheddar, spicy chorizo and a hefty amount of SGT Pepper. They’re a bit scruffy, very cheesy and outrageously good straight from the oven. This is the chefs snack i always make whenever im doing foccacia for an event and its always the snack of the day - Drizzle with chipolte mayo to finish.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups plain flour
  • 3 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon Pepper & Me Man Grind
  • 2½ cups lukewarm water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil plus plenty extra for handling
  • 250 g tasty or vintage cheddar cut into chunky cubes
  • 4 raw chorizo sausages casings removed
  • 3 tablespoons Pepper & Me SGT Pepper approximately

Instructions

  • Add the flour, yeast and Man Grind to a large bowl and mix together.
  • Pour in the lukewarm water and olive oil. Stir until you have a wet, sticky dough. It’s meant to look a bit loose, so don’t panic and start adding heaps more flour.
  • Cover the bowl and leave the dough somewhere warm for 30 minutes.
  • With wet or well-oiled hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it upwards and fold it over itself. Turn the bowl and repeat a few times.
  • Cover and rest for another 20 minutes, then repeat the stretching and folding once more.
  • Cover again and leave until the dough looks puffy and has roughly doubled in size, about 45–60 minutes.
  • Line two baking trays with baking paper and drizzle them generously with olive oil.
  • Oil your hands really well, then pull off rough rounds of dough about the size of your palm. Place them on the trays, leaving plenty of room between each one. They don’t need to be tidy.
  • Leave the rounds to puff up for another 30 minutes.
  • Heat the oven to 220°C fan bake.
  • Oil your fingers, then gently press dimples into each piece of dough, flattening them slightly without knocking out all the air.
  • Press plenty of cheddar cubes into each bun. Break the raw chorizo into small chunks and push them firmly into the dough, using around ⅓ a sausage per bun.
  • Give everything a hefty sprinkle of SGT Pepper, making sure some gets onto the dough, cheese and chorizo.
  • Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the buns are deeply golden, puffy and the chorizo is completely cooked through.
  • Leave them on the tray for a few minutes before attacking. Best served warm while the cheese is still gooey.

Notes

ADHD Version: Make the sticky dough, stretch and fold it twice, shape into oily palm-sized rounds, rest, dimple, stuff with cheddar and chorizo, cover in SGT Pepper and bake at 220°C for 15 minutes.