This focaccia packs a serious punch of umami flavors with both mushroom and freshly grated parmesan cheese. This was something new and different for me, as I don’t have a lot of experience working with yeasted dough. I found the original version of this recipe in the March 2025 Better Homes & Gardens magazine while I was waiting in the lobby during my spouse’s physical therapy appointment and it looked good enough that I wanted to try it. And although it looks like I overbaked it, it’s a darker brown due to the mushroom powder added to the dough.

This takes a couple hours to prove the dough before baking, so be sure to allow for extra time when you want to make this.

If you can get a hold of dry mushrooms, all you need to do to make mushroom powder is put them in a spice grinder.

3 c. flour (bread flour if you have it)
1/4 c. mushroom powder
1 tbsp. instant yeast
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. warm water (not scalding — go for 105-115F)
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine the flour, mushroom powder, yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and 1 tsp. of the salt. Stir in the warm water until combined. Cover the bowl with a plate and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Uncover the bowl and wet your hands with water. Look at the dough like the face of a clock, then grab it at 12:00 and pull it over to 6:00. Cover again and let it sit for another 30 minutes.

Wet your hands again and pull the dough from 3:00 to 9:00. Cover and rest again for 30 minutes.

While this is going on, sautee the mushrooms in a little olive oil and 1 tsp. salt until soft. Grate the parmesan cheese.

Repeat: this time, pull from 6:00 to 12:00 and rest again. Repeat: pull from 9:00 to 3:00.

Preheat the oven to 425F. Use your hand to smear 1 tbsp. of olive oil onto a baking sheet.

While your hands are still oily, transfer the dough onto the baking sheet and press it out to roughly 1/2-3/4-inch thickness. Don’t try to make it too smooth on top — some hills and valleys are desirable.

Sprinkle the mushrooms on the surface, then the parmesan. Drizzle with any more olive oil if desired.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or so. (This is the part I’m less certain of as I strayed from the original recipe and pulled it out too soon, then put it back in when it turned out to be underdone in the middle, then overbaked it. Try listening to your ancestors and hope they don’t tell you that they’re not Italian and thus would have no idea how to cook focaccia.)