Caprese Focaccia Bread

A delicious, comforting focaccia bread topped with tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil.

Course bread, italian, Snack

Cuisine bread, Italian, snacks

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Rising Time 1 20

Total Time 1 45

Servings people

Calories 352kcal

Author Kathi & Rachel

Add warm wate, yeast and honey to stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Stir water mixture and let sit 5-10 minutes until foamy.
*Note- if the yeast is bad, it will not foam. If it doesn't foam, get some fresh active yeast and start over. Bad yeast will kill your bread!
Set mixer to low and gradually add in flour, olive oil and salt. Continue to mix, and increase speed of mixer to medium. Mix until dough pulls away from side of bowl.
*If dough is still sticky after fully , add 1/4 cup flour gradually.
Spray hands with nonstick spray (or olive oil) and remove the dough from the mixer, shaping dough into a ball. Place in a greased (with nonstick spray or olive oil) bowl and cover with damp towel. Let rise in a warm environment (a laundry room with the dryer on works great, or a sun facing window) for 45-60 minutes.
Once the dough has risen, place dough on greased surface. Roll it out to be about 1/2 inch thick, and roughly the size of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover again with damp towel, and let rise for additional 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit.
Transfer dough to parchment lined 9x13 baking sheet. Use fingers to poke even holes (all the way through to the pan), drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt (and rosemary needles if you desire), mozzarella and tomatoes and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Top with fresh basil. Drizzle with additional olive oil, or balsamic reduction if desired and serve/enjoy!

There are 2 ways to dress this focaccia bread up caprese style, but the fresh basil should always go on last.

I find that fresh mozzarella works best. You could use shredded, but be warned, it may brown quickly.

You can add the tomatoes and mozzarella before the bread goes in the oven. This will result in melty, browned and crispier mozzarella with lightly charred tomatoes.
You can add the mozzarella and tomatoes AFTER the bread is cooked, all0wing the cheese to get gooey and melty, and the tomatoes will be crisp and fresh.

What else can I top it with?

- - Fresh Herbs (Dill, tarragon, cilantro, parsley, etc.). Be cautious that some herbs may burn in the oven- you may be better mixing them into the dough rather than adding them on top.
  - Garlic- whole cloves are delicious and caramelize in the oven.
  - Thin sliced tomatoes
  - Olives- Kalamata or black, whole or sliced.