Tomato and Mozzarella Focaccia Bread

This Tomato and Mozzarella Focaccia Bread is a twist on my usual Italian Rosemary Focaccia Bread.

It was inspired by my recent stay in Italy, where I tried a few different types of focaccia bread. I wasn’t overly impressed by the texture, as I often felt the bread was very soft and oily. One thing that did intrigue me though, was adding freshly sliced tomatoes on top.

Moreover, I thought some pieces of mozzarella poked into the top of the dough would give this focaccia bread additional flavour and instead of including rosemary in the bread, I worked in some freshly chopped basil into the dough.

This delicious tomato and mozzarella focaccia bread is the perfect accompaniment to a summer barbecue or served with a large fresh green salad.

Why not make two different focaccia breads at the same time?

The tomato and mozzarella focaccia bread is made with the same basic focaccia dough recipe I use for my other focaccia recipes.

My sister absolutely loves my rosemary focaccia bread, so, in order to please her I made both the rosemary and the tomato and mozzarella one at the same time.
Why not try the same thing? Simply split the dough into two portions after the first prove and turn each half into a different type of focaccia!

Recipe Note:
Any leftover bread can be frozen! Simply place it in a freezer bag and keep for up to a month. Once ready to eat, simply defrost. If you would like to serve it warm, reheat it in the oven for a few minutes.

Tomato and Mozzarella Focaccia Bread

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 500g plain flour
• 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast (or 25g fresh yeast)
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for the dough
• 300 ml warm water
• 6 cherry tomatoes, finely sliced
• 125g (half a ball) mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces
• small bunch of fresh basil leaves
• flaked sea salt
• ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil, to drizzle on top

Method:

1. To make the dough, weigh the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into a bowl and stir to mix the dry ingredients together. Next, in a measuring jug, mix the water and 2 tbsp of olive oil before pouring it onto the flour mixture.
2. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture starts to come together. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it becomes soft and elastic. 
   Next, grease the bowl and some cling film with a little olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover with the cling film and leave to prove in a warm space for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
3. In the meantime, wash the basil and chop finely. Slice the cherry tomatoes and cut the mozzarella into small pieces.
4. Lightly grease a large baking tray or traybake tin with olive oil.
5. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back with your knuckles (you are knocking some of the air out of the dough again, so that it can rise once again in the second prove).
6. Sprinkle some sea salt, black pepper and 2/3 of the chopped basil over the dough and knead it, until all the herbs and spices are well incorporated.
7. Place the dough onto the baking tray and ease it into a rectangular shape. Don´t worry if it doesn’t look perfect, it looks better if it’s a bit rustic anyway.
8. Cover again with some lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove for a further 30 minutes. After 30 minutes it should look nicely puffed up.
9. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
10. Before baking the focaccia, use your fingers to poke little dimples into the bread. Scatter the sliced tomatoes and mozzarella evenly over the dough and press down gently. Sprinkle the remaining chopped basil, the ground pepper and the sea salt flakes over the focaccia bread. Finally, drizzle with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil, allowing it to seep into the dimples.
11. Once preheated, bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. When you take it out and tap the bottom of the bread it should sound hollow. Keep an eye on the bread during baking – if it looks like it is getting to dark but hasn’t finished baking yet, cover with some tin foil to avoid burning.
12. Serve warm alongside a summer barbecue, a fresh green salad or some delicious roasted vegetables. Enjoy!

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Looking for other recipe ideas? Why not try these delicious BBQ lamb kebabs to serve with your homemade tomato and mozzarella focaccia bread?
Or for a different bread recipe, try this Irish Soda Bread, which is quick to make and requires no kneading!