As a child, Molly watched friends receive those enormous party subs for their birthdays—but she never got one herself. So she decided to create her own, starting with breakfast. Her version packs a savory frittata, American cheese, and bacon inside soft focaccia, making it a hearty full breakfast that’s easy to eat on the go, particularly when harvest season is in full swing.
Info
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 5 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 sandwiches
Ingredients
Focaccia
- 4 3/4 cups (618 grams) bread flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups (480 grams) warm water
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Flaky salt
Frittata
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the sheet pan
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 ounces (85 grams) shredded white Cheddar
- 8 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (180 milliliters) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru or a few sprinkles of crushed red pepper
Assembly
- 10 slices American cheese
- 1 pound cooked bacon
- Ketchup, for serving
Instructions
- Make the focaccia dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add the water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, then mix until a dough forms. Continue mixing on medium-high for 7 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth but still quite sticky.
- Let it rise: Coat a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Put the dough in the pan and turn it once or twice so it gets coated in oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Dimple and proof again: Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over the dough and dimple it as you press it out to the edges of the pan. Cover and let rise for 1 more hour. Dimple again and let rest another hour while you preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Bake: Sprinkle the risen dough with flaky salt and bake for 25 minutes, until lightly browned on top. (The dough may start to creep over the edges of the pan during baking—that’s fine; some overhang actually makes it easier to cut later.) Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Prepare the frittata pan and oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray and line it with enough parchment paper to leave 1-inch wings on two sides (press it down well so egg doesn’t seep underneath).
- Cook the vegetables: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and zucchini (in batches if the skillet isn’t big enough to hold both), season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft and browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
- Make the egg mixture and bake: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few turns of pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables and bake until set and lightly browned on top; start checking for doneness at 25 minutes. Keep it in the pan until you’re ready to assemble.
- Assemble the sandwiches: Place the focaccia in a quarter sheet pan. Using the largest serrated knife you have, cut the focaccia loaf in half horizontally, using the rim as a guide. I like to rotate the pan with one hand as I saw off the top with the other (it’s just like leveling a huge cake). Flip the egg onto the bottom piece of focaccia. Top with the American cheese and bacon. Add the top of the focaccia. Slide onto a cutting board, slice into squares, and serve with ketchup.
