Focaccia sandwiches in food service: reheating, cutting, filling

Café, half past eleven. The focaccia sandwiches from the morning are lined up in the display counter and look good. By one o’clock the first one has gone soggy at the bottom, the lettuce is hanging out limply, and guests reach for a croissant instead.

The short answer: A focaccia sandwich works if you reheat the focaccia according to the baking instructions, let it cool completely and then slice it horizontally. Spread both cut sides thinly with butter, mayonnaise or pesto so nothing goes soggy. Fill in two small rounds instead of everything in the morning, and keep filled sandwiches in the chilled display at no more than 7 °C.

Below you will find which focaccia works best, how to cut a whole tray, five sandwiches for your menu and a short checklist for the time before the lunchtime rush.

Which focaccia is best for a sandwich?

An airy focaccia with a firm crust that is tall enough to slice horizontally. The large holes soak up oil and pesto, and the crust holds the sandwich together. Very flat focaccia is hard to split and works better as a side in the bread basket.

Choose the variety to suit the filling:

• Rosmarino (rosemary) is the classic and goes with almost anything.
• Pomodoro (tomato) brings fruitiness and a little juice. It goes well with ham and cheese. With Pomodoro, use moist ingredients more sparingly.
• Patate (potato) is hearty and filling. It can also carry robust fillings such as roast meat or grilled vegetables.

All three varieties on the product page contain no animal ingredients. So whether a sandwich is vegan depends on the filling.

How do I cut focaccia for sandwiches?

Reheat according to the baking instructions first, then let it cool completely, then cut. Warm bread gives off steam: the cut surface gets damp, and the airy crumb tears as you slice.

The baking instructions for frozen focaccia by the tray are: let it thaw for about 10 minutes at room temperature, then reheat in a fan oven at 170 °C for 7 to 10 minutes until it is heated right through. Finish with a little olive oil.

What does that mean for you? Reheat in the morning, before you set up the counter. That gives the focaccia time to cool before you fill it. Only reheat as many trays as you need that day, because thawed focaccia must not be refrozen. Whatever is not filled works as a side in the bread basket.

How do I stop a focaccia sandwich from going soggy?

With a protective layer of fat and the right order when filling. Otherwise moisture from tomatoes, mozzarella or sauces seeps into the open holes.

• Protective layer: Spread both cut sides thinly with butter, mayonnaise or pesto. The fat keeps water away from the bread. Cream cheese and hummus contain a lot of water themselves and protect less.
• Dry ingredients against the bread: Ham, cheese and lettuce leaves go directly onto the protective layer. Moist items such as tomatoes, mozzarella or grilled vegetables go in the middle.
• Drain well: Drain mozzarella, marinated vegetables and antipasti before filling, or pat them dry.
• Go easy on sauces: Better a little sauce in the sandwich and the rest served separately.

What does that mean for you? Most soggy sandwiches fail because the protective layer is missing or the filling is wet. Fixing both takes only seconds when you fill them.

Which focaccia sandwiches work on the menu?

Five combinations that need only a few ingredients and look good in the display counter:

How to get each one right:

• Mortadella and pistachio: The pistachio pesto doubles as the protective layer. Slice the mortadella wafer-thin and fold it loosely, so the sandwich looks full without being heavy.
• Caprese: Slice the mozzarella and leave it to drain on kitchen paper. Add the tomatoes only shortly before selling. For a vegetarian sandwich, use a basil pesto without Parmesan, because Parmesan is made with animal rennet.
• Grilled vegetables: Brush the cut sides with olive oil, spread the hummus thinly on top, and use vegetables that are well drained and cooled. That way the sandwich stays vegan.
• Prosciutto: The simplest option, with an almost dry filling. It stays crisp in the display longest and is a good first sandwich for the menu.
• Porchetta: Lay the slices on thinly and loosely, and spread the salsa verde only thinly, otherwise it runs out.

What does that mean for you? Start with two or three varieties, at least one of them vegetarian or vegan. Whatever sells stays on the menu. Remember the labelling: in Germany, guests must be able to find out the allergens even for unpackaged sandwiches, and the easiest way is a sign at the display (Section 4 LMIDV, in German).

How long does a filled focaccia sandwich keep?

Ideally, sell it the same day. Filled rolls and sandwiches count as perishable food, even with a vegetarian or vegan filling. Under the German standard DIN 10508 they belong in the fridge at no more than 7 °C, as summarised in the storage temperature leaflet of the district of Lüneburg (in German).

What does that mean for you? Fill smaller batches as needed instead of stocking the whole display in the morning. Filling twice, early and shortly before the lunchtime rush, keeps the bread fresh and cuts waste. Until then, the focaccia for the second round stays unfilled and covered at room temperature. In the fridge, bread goes stale faster. Filled sandwiches left over in the evening are not sold the next day.

How do I display and wrap focaccia sandwiches?

Cut side facing forward, so guests can see the filling. A focaccia sandwich sells on its looks: green from the rocket, red from tomato or ham, the golden crust on top.

• In the display: Stand the sandwiches at an angle or upright next to each other, not stacked. A sign gives the name, main ingredients and allergens.
• To take away: Wrap them in baking paper or greaseproof paper. The paper holds the sandwich together. In cling film the moisture stays in the sandwich, and the crust goes soft.
• Pre-packed for self-service: If you wrap sandwiches in advance and put them out for self-service, a sign is not enough. Then the ingredients, allergens and shelf life, among other things, go on the label (Section 4 LMIDV, in German).

What does that mean for you? Whether it is a café counter, hotel bar, canteen or catering: the principle stays the same. Keep them chilled, display them visibly and hand them out in paper.

Checklist before the lunchtime rush

Your next step: one tray, three sandwiches

Reheat a tray of focaccia and fill three varieties from the table. Put one of each in the chilled display for as long as it would sit there on sale, for example from morning until lunchtime, and then taste them. That shows you which combination holds up best before it goes on the menu.

The focaccia from Taste Base comes fully baked as a whole tray, in the varieties Rosmarino, Pomodoro and Patate, and with no animal ingredients. For the café counter in the morning, our pastries go well alongside. To try them, add samples to the tasting box: the samples are free, you only pay for shipping.

Frequently asked questions

How do you cut focaccia for a sandwich?

Let it cool completely first, then divide it into portions and halve each portion horizontally. A long serrated bread knife works best, with sawing strokes and without pressing down.

How do you stop a focaccia sandwich from going soggy?

Spread both cut sides thinly with butter, mayonnaise or pesto, as the fat keeps water away from the bread. Dry ingredients such as ham, cheese and lettuce go against the bread, moist ones such as tomato and mozzarella in the middle. Drain mozzarella and antipasti beforehand.

Can you fill focaccia sandwiches the day before?

Better not. Overnight, moisture seeps into the bread and the crust goes soft. Fill them on the same day in small batches as needed, and keep the sandwiches chilled at no more than 7 °C.

Is focaccia vegan?

Classic focaccia made from flour, water, olive oil, salt and yeast is vegan. The three varieties on our product page contain no animal ingredients. Whether the sandwich is vegan then depends on the filling, for example grilled vegetables with hummus.

How do you reheat frozen focaccia?

According to the baking instructions on the product page, let it thaw for about 10 minutes at room temperature, then reheat in a fan oven at 170 °C for 7 to 10 minutes until it is heated right through. For sandwiches, let the focaccia cool completely afterwards before you cut it.

Tags: Focaccia, Sandwich, Café, Menu ideas, Display counter