Caprese Focaccia Bread
Caprese focaccia bread offers you the best of both worlds. First, you have the deliciously crunchy focaccia bread. A well-made focaccia is perfection all on its own. But wait! This is where things get even tastier. Now let’s stuff the inside of the focaccia with mozzarella cheese, vine-ripe tomatoes, and freshly picked basil. This will now be the best tomato and mozzarella sandwich you ever had.
As the foccacia bread cooks it will become lightly golden in color and crunchy. However, in the middle of the bread you’ll experience a soft interior full of mouthwatering melted mozzarella cheese, the sweetness of baked tomatoes and the delectable fragrance of the basil leaves. Sound good? You bet it does!
After you remove the focaccia from the oven let it sit on your stovetop to slightly cool. The focaccia will cut better and the melted mozzarella will no longer be scorching hot. We’ve all bit into a pizza before and burnt the roof of our mouth. Well, by letting the focaccia cool a little, we hope not to experience that.
This recipe is not difficult to make. Yes, you’ll have to work with yeast but you’ll use active dry yeast that is simple to work with. The rest of the steps in this recipe are very basic. So give it a go! You’ll impress your guests with this caprese focaccia so much that it won’t be long before you’ll be making it again.
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- Use only the freshest and ripest ingredients.
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- Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes. Leave the basil whole.
Caprese Focaccia Bread
(For 5 people)
Ingredients
(Focaccia Recipe)
- 1 1/3 cups warm water (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 2 tsp honey or 1 tsp sugar
- 1 (.25 ounce) package of active dry yeast
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp coarse salt
Caprese Ingredients
- 12 slices of fresh mozzarella (1/4 inch thick)
- 12 slices of ripe tomato (1/4 inch thick)
- 12 fresh basil leaves
- extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
- coarse salt to taste
To make the focaccia dough
- Add warm water, yeast, and honey (or sugar) to a clean bowl.
- Stir the mixture and cover it with a kitchen towel.
- Let sit for 5-10 minutes in a slightly warm spot in your kitchen until foamy.
Tip: If the yeast is bad, it will not foam. If this happens get some fresh active yeast and start over again.
- Now gradually add the flour, olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture.
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- The ready-to-use yeast mixture.
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- Add all other ingredients to another bowl.
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- Combine the yeast and flour mixtures.
Tip: You might need to pour the proofed yeast into a larger bowl to be able to mix well all the ingredients.
- . Continue to mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
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- Combine the ingredients.
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- Roll the dough into a smooth ball.
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- Place the dough in an oiled bowl.
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Rub some olive oil on your hands and remove the dough from the bowl.
- Place it on a floured work area and knead it by hand for 5-10 minutes to create a smooth pliable dough that is slightly sticky.
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Shape the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl.
- Make sure to lightly oil the top of the dough and then cover it with a kitchen towel.
- Let rise in a warm spot in your kitchen for one hour.
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Once the dough has risen, place it on your floured work surface.
- Divide the dough into two halves.
Two halves.
Stuff and bake the focaccia
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oil a 9 x 13 sheet pan
- With your hands stretch out one of the halves roughly the size of the baking pan.
- Now add the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.
Add the Caprese ingredients.
- Repeat the process of stretching out the remaining half of the dough.
- Carefully place it over the filling and press it down to seal the edges closed.
- Cover the tray with a damp towel, and let rise for an additional 20-30 minutes.
Tip: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the damp towel and with your fingertips lightly dimple the top of the focaccia.
- Brush it with extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkle a little coarse salt over it.
It should look like this just before baking.
- Place the tray on the middle rack of your preheated oven.
- Bake it for 20-25 minutes. The top should be lightly golden and the underneath portion of the focaccia should be completely cooked too.
Let it cook before serving it.
- Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving it.
- Once it has cooled down you can slice it and enjoy all that delicious melted mozzarella cheese, the sweetness of the baked tomatoes, and the tantalizing fragrance of the basil.
And now it’s time to eat and enjoy!
If you like this stuffed focaccia recipe try making my delicious tomato focaccia with provolone cheese! See the pictures below.
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- Yes! This one is definitely worth making too.
