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Focaccia with grilled Halloumi and lemon served
Fresh focaccia with grilled Halloumi cheese and lemon

Mediterranean focaccia with grilled Halloumi and lemon

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Vegetarian & Vegan Side Dishes
This recipe is the essence of a Mediterranean summer in a single tray. The oily, soft dough of the focaccia meets the treasure of Cyprus, Halloumi cheese, which doesn't melt away during baking but develops a crust and stays squeakily elastic. The grilled lemon is not just a garnish: the heat tames its acidity, and the rind adds a bitter-aromatic contrast to the salty cheese. Impossible to imagine anything better alongside a glass of cold white wine.
🕒 Prep Time 45 mins
🍳 Cook Time 25 mins
⌛ Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
🍽️ Servings 8 servings
🔥 Calories 340 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Mediterranean

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Large mixing bowl - for assembling the dough
  • Baking tray - for baking
  • Frying pan - for pre-frying the cheese and lemon
  • Kitchen paper - for drying the cheese

Allergen Information

⚠️ Cereals containing gluten
⚠️ Milk

Instructions

1 ✓

Stir the sugar into the lukewarm water, crumble in the yeast, and let it activate for 10 minutes.

Tip: The sugar provides food for the yeast, kickstarting fermentation.
2 ✓

Mix the flour with the salt in a bowl. Add the yeast water and the 30 ml of olive oil. Knead into a smooth, elastic dough (approx. 10 minutes by hand).

Tip: If the dough is very sticky, let it rest for 5 minutes then continue kneading. The flour's absorption capacity increases with time. (Hydration).
3 ✓

Prove in an oiled bowl, covered, until doubled in size (approx. 60 minutes) in a warm place.

Tip: Draughts are the enemy of rising. If the kitchen is cold, put the bowl in a switched-off oven.
4 ✓

Prepare the toppings: slice the Halloumi 1 cm thick and blot the moisture with kitchen paper. Wash the lemon and cut into wafer-thin rounds.

Tip: Drying the cheese is important so it fries rather than steams in the pan. (Maillard reaction).
5 ✓

In a hot frying pan, without fat or with a tiny bit of oil, pre-fry the Halloumi slices and lemon rounds for 1 minute on each side. Just enough to get some colour.

Tip: Pre-frying adds extra flavour and ensures the lemon doesn't make the dough soggy during baking.
6 ✓

Tip the proved dough into an oiled baking tray and push it out to the size of the tin with your fingers. Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Tip: After resting, it will be easier to press the toppings in.
7 ✓

Press the grilled cheese and lemon rounds into the dough. Drizzle the top with the remaining olive oil.

Tip: Press the toppings boldly into the dough, otherwise the dough will rise during baking and push them off.
8 ✓

Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C / 200°C Fan for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

Tip: Watch the lemons; if they blacken too much, cover with foil for the last few minutes.
9 ✓

Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slice.

Tip: Halloumi becomes harder when cold, so this focaccia is best served lukewarm.

Recipe FAQ

Why did the lemon turn bitter?
The white pith of the lemon can be bitter. Use thin-skinned lemons or slice the rounds very thinly.
The cheese became rubbery. Why?
It is the nature of Halloumi to be elastic. It is best enjoyed fresh and warm.

Ingredients

  • 500 g Wheat flour (Plain or Strong white bread flour)
  • 20 g Fresh yeast
  • 300 ml Lukewarm water
  • 30 ml Olive oil (for the dough)
  • 20 ml Olive oil (for brushing)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 150 g Halloumi cheese
  • 1 piece Lemon (unwaxed rind)