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Italian Focaccia with Tomato and Herb. What happens when you place gorgeous, sweet heirloom tomatoes on olive oil and herb focaccia? Let me tell you. The soft interior of the focaccia and crispy, salty, herby outer layer meet the sweetest jammy-cooked tomato to create the perfect balance of flavor and texture. It all starts with No Knead Italian Focaccia Bread.
You will also love these focaccia recipes Sweet Focaccia with Raspberries and Balsamic and Apple, Brie, and Herb Focaccia Bread
Why I love this recipe
In Italy, we find this type of focaccia in all the bread bakeries. It’s already sliced and wrapped in parchment paper for a little snack ‘al volvo’ on the fly. Bring this mouthwatering herb tomato focaccia recipe to your cucina today! Best part? It is no-knead and super easy to make.
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
- Active dry yeast (instant yeast)
- Lukewarm water
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands
- Unsalted butter, for greasing pan
- Flake sea salt
- Italian herbs (thyme, oregano, and rosemary)
- Heirloom tomato, cut into slices
- Garlic, sliced thin
Easy and Best Focaccia Bread
Italian Focaccia with Tomato and Herb
Why is this focaccia so easy? After mixing the flour, yeast, sugar, and water in a bowl with a wooden spoon you will transfer the mixture to an olive oil “bath” and let it sit. You can let it rise in the fridge for 8-12 hours or do the quick method on the counter for 2 hours.
I do it both ways and love them both. The one that sits in the fridge gets a more “flavorful” taste from the fermentation of the yeast and flour.
Either way, it is DELICIOUS. Then, for my favorite part, after the second rise is the dimpling of the dough with your fingers to make the classic indentations classic to the real Italian focaccia bread.
From start to finish this focaccia recipe is EASY and also, therapeutic to make. Get your hands in that olive oil and feel the bubbly dough with your hands too!
What tomatoes are BEST for focaccia?
I love the uniquely sweet and beautiful presentation of heirloom tomatoes! With that said, they are sometimes hard to find and often more expensive. Other tomato varieties I recommend:
- Roma
- Cherry tomatoes of any kind (simply cut in half)
- Beefsteak
- Plum
- Campari
Really, any tomatoes that are ripe, sweet, and not mushy or tasteless :).
Serving Suggestions for Italian Focaccia with Tomato and Herb
Focaccia bread can be eaten as it is. The addition of tomatoes almost gives it a pizza-like taste. Focaccia can be cut into a variety of shapes, including squares, long skinny rectangles, and triangles.
Since focaccia is pretty thick, focaccia can be sliced in half and used for making sandwiches. Stuff it with ham, mozzarella, and more tomatoes, and slather it with fresh homemade pesto.
It’s also a tasty addition to a bread basket or an accompaniment to a bowl of soup or a salad.
You can also slather homemade pesto sauce on top of this Italian Focaccia with Tomato and Herb.
Fresh Arugula Walnut Pesto (vegan recipe)
Pesto Genovese (classic basil pesto)
Olive Oil and Salt I love for Making Focaccia
FLAKE SALT I LOVE IT!! MALDONS
Great Basic Extra Virgin Olive Oil for This Recipe COLAVITA
Tips for Storing Italian Focaccia Bread
Storing: The focaccia will keep at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for 2 days. Reheat in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes. To freeze focaccia, cut it in pieces, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, place it in a resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. *I do not recommend freezing the tomatoes. Remove them before freezing.
More Delicious Recipes for YOU
The Best Italian Bread-Dipping Oil
Brioche Bun Recipe (Italian Style)
Goat Cheese Salad Recipe with Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
Arugula, Apple, and Pistachio Salad in Parmigiano Cups
Berry and Goat Cheese Salad with Honey Citrus Dressing
Peach and Mozzarella Salad with Orange, Basil, and Poppy Seed Dressing
Made with Amore, Elena
Have you checked out my NEW CBE PRODUCTS? Take a look at the 2-in-1 cutting and charcuterie board, gorgeous apron, and unique pasta server that you absolutely need. The wood products are all handmade in Salt Lake City, Utah. They make great gifts as well!
It’s one of the simplest focaccia bread recipes that barely takes any work to create an unbelievably tasty Italian bread!
Perfectly crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle, perfect Focaccia Bread every single time!
Print
Italian Focaccia with Tomato and Herb
What happens when you place gorgeous, sweet heirloom tomatoes on olive oil and herb focaccia? Let me tell you. The soft interior of the focaccia and crispy, salty, herby outer layer meet the sweetest jammy cooked tomato to create the perfect balance of flavor and texture.
- Total Time: 38 minutes (without rise time)
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/4-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp.)
- 2 1/2 cups (590 ml) lukewarm water (98 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit, 36.5 to 40.5 Celsius)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands such as, COLAVITA
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for greasing pan
- Flake sea salt, such a Maldons
- 1 tablespoon mixed Italian herbs (thyme, oregano, and rosemary)
- 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into slices
- 2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
Instructions
1. Place 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium/large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and sugar. Stir slightly but do not mix. Let sit 5-10 minutes (it should foam or at least get creamy; if it doesn’t your yeast is dead and you should start again—check the expiration date!).
2. Add flour and kosher salt and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain. It will seem a little wet. That is normal.
3. Pour 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Turn over a few times, but do NOT mix in the oil with the dough. Cover plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. If you’re in a rush, you can also let it rise at room temperature in a warm place until doubled in size, 3–4 hours. The longer you let it raise in the fridge the more it flavorful it will be.
4. Grease your desired baking pan or baking sheet depended on preference (classic 9X13 glass baking dish or 9X13 cookie sheet ) with butter. Add the 1 Tbs olive oil to the baking pan and coat bottom. Take out dough from the fridge, uncover, and punch down one time. Then turn the dough over a few times in the bowl. Move dough to the prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over and turn dough to coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot (like near a radiator or on top of the fridge or a preheating oven) until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours.
5. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°. To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you won’t need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers. This is my favorite part! Keep poking away until there are lots of poke marks in the dough.
6.Drizzle the top of poked dough with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and herbs. Place the tomato slices gently on top of the dough and distribute garlic over the top. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes. Optional: brush lightly with olive oil at the right after taking it out of the oven. Enjoy warm or cold!
Notes
Makes great sandwich bread. Simply cut a slice in half lengthwise and use for a sandwich!
Storing: The focaccia will keep at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for 2 days. Reheat in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes. To freeze focaccia, cut it in pieces, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, place in resealable plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. *I do not recommend freezing the tomatoes. Remove them before freezing.
Short Rise Option: To skip the long rise (12 hours and up to 48 hours), simply let the mixed dough rise at room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours. Then proceed with the recipe, knowing the second rise will only take about 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 8-24 hours (rise time)
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Category: Savory
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian
Really easy, great recipe. I did put the dough in fridge for 24 hours, used tomatoes and roasted garlic and rosemary
It’s so yummy! Happy it turned out delicious for you!
Amazing focaccia! I used avocado oil as I didn’t have enough olive oil and an 8×11 dish, and fresh Roma tomatoes. It was sooo good and fluffy! Best focaccia I’ve ever had and so easy to make. I did a quick rise and it was perfect. We ate it with some dairy free creamy chicken gnocchi and spinach and it just went perfectly. Thank you so much for this recipe! It will be my go to focaccia from now on!
Hola Elena, me encantan tus recetas, quiero hacerte una consulta en las recetas de panes y focaccias, no hay cantidades de cada ingrediente, me las podrÃas enviar?,
gracias
Saludos
Cristina