I Tried “Cheater Focaccia” Using This Frozen Shortcut, and It’s Honestly Incredible

A fresh loaf of homemade bread is simply unbeatable. That said, the idea of actually making focaccia completely from can be intimidating. Whenever a recipe involves words like “knead” or “rise,” or calls for active dry yeast, I know it’s going to be more on the advanced side.

The good news is that there are all sorts of shortcuts to make beloved foods like homemade focaccia without the time commitment. Enter: this clever hack for making what’s being called “faux-caccia,” a bread that looks super similar to focaccia, but is actually made entirely from frozen dinner rolls!

How to Make “Cheater Focaccia” Using Frozen Dinner Rolls

We found this fun idea via Molly Maung of littlecajunhouse on Instagram. In the video, Maung uses 20 frozen dinner rolls from the brand Rhodes, which are available at many grocery stores such as Stop & Shop and Target.

First, place 20 out of the 36 frozen rolls on a 9×13-inch baking dish and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray (on the side facing the tops of the rolls.) Allow the rolls to rise covered in the baking dish until doubled in size, at least a few hours.

Once the rolls have doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap and press dimples all over the dough, like you would with traditional focaccia. Then, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt, garlic powder, and fresh or dried rosemary leaves. Finally, bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes, or until dark golden-brown on the top.

My Review of the “Cheater Focaccia”

I’m honestly so impressed with how this came out — it looks like real focaccia! And though the texture isn’t exactly the same (it’s not as springy), it’s very delicious. Despite my worries of uneven baking, the bread was fully cooked on the inside and perfectly golden on top.

Although my rolls took at least a few hours to fully rise, I was able to focus on other tasks in the kitchen so the time spent waiting didn’t feel super lengthy. Another highlight of this method, aside from how unbelievably easy it is, is the amazing garlic and rosemary aromas that waft through the house as it bakes.

If you decide to make this, which I think you should, just be sure to watch the bread closely when the time is almost up. The window between golden-brown and burnt can close very quickly. I think this would be a great appetizer or side dish to bring to a holiday party or something to make for a casual Sunday meal. It’ll be fun to see who notices the hack before anyone else!