The super soft tomato focaccia is very tasty and has a bubbly dough, extremely soft in the center and crunchy along the edges. To give it that extra touch, after greasing the pan with extra virgin olive oil, I sprinkle it with semolina or alternatively, cornmeal. This way, you get a crunchy and tasty base.
We like it simple, with tomato sauce and oregano, but occasionally I also top it with onions, or with olives, capers, and anchovies. If you prefer it white, no problem, just omit the tomato, but drizzle it with plenty of extra virgin olive oil.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 1 round pan of approx. 13.5 inches in diameter
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp dry yeast (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water (lukewarm)
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 14 oz canned tomatoes
- as needed salt
- as needed semolina
- as needed oregano
Steps
To prepare the super soft tomato focaccia, place the flour with the yeast and sugar in a bowl and mix. Pour in the lukewarm water, mix briefly, then add the salt and extra virgin olive oil and mix with a spoon or your hands until you get a homogeneous, quite soft, and sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour.
After the first hour of rest, with wet hands, make some folds in the dough without removing it from the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for another hour. Then give the dough another round of folds, always with wet or oiled hands, so the dough does not stick to your fingers. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for another hour.
After the third hour of rest, grease your pan with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle it with semolina. Transfer the dough to the pan and gently spread it out, pressing with your fingertips from the center outwards, until the entire pan is covered with dough. Let it rise covered for another hour. Meanwhile, prepare the topping.
For the focaccia topping, peel the garlic and chop it finely. Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Then add the canned tomatoes, salt, mix, and let it cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool or at least warm.
After the dough’s resting time, preheat the oven to 450°F (static).
Top your focaccia with the canned tomato sauce, breaking up the whole tomatoes a little and distributing them evenly over the surface of the focaccia.
Bake at 450°F for 20-25 minutes.
Remove your super soft tomato focaccia from the oven and serve it sprinkled with oregano to taste.
The focaccia is also great cold, and if there is any left over, it can be easily frozen.
Suggestions
Besides the tomato sauce, you can also top your focaccia with olives, anchovies, and capers, for example. But onions also go perfectly!
