This delightfully chewy Caprese Focaccia is a delicious flatbread perfect for an appetizer, snack, or side dish! The no-knead bread dough is so easy to make and the caprese toppings bring extra flavor and texture to this treat. Enjoy creamy mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and aromatic basil leaves studded across this olive oil-rich golden bread!
Why You’ll Love This Caprese Focaccia Bread Recipe
Homemade bread is one of life’s true luxuries, and this focaccia bread is an incredibly easy way for home cooks to get started on their bread journey. Focaccia is a no-knead Italian flatbread that comes out thick and chewy on the inside with a little crunch on the outer crust, and it’ll fill your home with the most incredible smell as it bakes.
This Caprese version is topped with golden olive oil, flaky sea salt, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves. You basically just take a Caprese salad and layer it on top of your dough!
As it bakes, the toppings will melt, meld, and char beautifully with the bread for a flavorful finished product. Slice your focaccia into squares and serve it as-is, alongside soup, or as an addition to your meal. You could even use it as an appetizer and dip it into an olive oil and balsamic bread dip. Let me know what you think of this yummy savory treat!
More Bread Recipes To Try
- Flatbread Breakfast Pizza
- Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Casserole
- Air Fryer Garlic Bread
- Goat Chees Bruschetta
Ingredients
I know making homemade bread can be overwhelming so I’ve broken up the ingredients list to make things more digestible. Don’t worry, though – focaccia is a great bread to start with!
Focaccia Bread Ingredients
- Water – warm, but not too hot
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Kosher salt
- All-purpose flour
- Instant yeast
For Caprese Focaccia bread toppings
- Heirloom tomatoes – thinly sliced
- Mozzarella cheese slices
- Fresh basil leaves
- Flaky sea salt
- Olive oil – for drizzling
Check out the full recipe card below for exact measurements.
How to Make a Focaccia Bread
Step 1: Prep
Drizzle a 9×13-inch baking sheet generously with olive oil and set it aside for later.
Step 2: Mix Bread Dough
- In a glass mixing glass mix together warm water, olive oil, honey, and kosher salt until the mixture is combined and foamy.
- Add flour to a large bowl fitted with a stand or hand mixer (or you can use a hand whisk) with a dough hook attachment, add the warm water and yeast mixture to the flour.
- Mix the dough together for 60 seconds. The dough will be very sticky.
- Cover it with a cloth, and let it rise for 1 hour in a dry place (I usually place mine in the oven unheated).
- Remove the dough and uncover. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the dough edge and onto your hands. Need and fold the dough over 10-15 times with your hands. Cover the dough and let rise for an additional 30-40 minutes.
- When the dough is almost finished it’s second rising, preheat the oven to 375 F (but make sure you take the rising dough out of the oven before you start preheating).
- Drizzle the bottom of your baking sheet with olive oil and transfer the dough onto the sheet.
Step 3: Dress with Olive Oil
Poke holes in the top of the focaccia with your fingers and drizzle it with olive oil. Spread the olive oil evenly with a silicone pastry brush.
Step 4: Add Caprese Toppings
Top the bread dough with three rows of caprese toppings. Alternate with a thin slice of mozzarella, a thin slice of tomato, and a basil leaf. Drizzle the caprese toppings with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Step 5: Bake
Bake your focaccia for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
FAQs
What makes focaccia bread different?
While focaccia is a flatbread, it’s also made with yeast so it rises much more significantly than your typical flatbread. Focaccia is thick, chewy, and makes for an amazing snack!
How should focaccia be eaten?
It’s chef’s choice! This bread is typically eaten straight out of the oven as an appetizer, a side dish, or a snack. I also love using focaccia as sandwich bread. You could sandwich some turkey between a couple of focaccia slices and enjoy the mozzarella, basil, and tomato already baked into the bread. I’d also add a little bit of garlic aioli if I were you!
Should I refrigerate my focaccia bread?
This recipe is best enjoyed the same day it’s made. If you have leftovers, you can wrap them in saran wrap and/or store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Reheat it in the oven or microwave, but keep in mind that the bread will get dry and stale as the days go on.
Servings Suggestions and Variations
There are so many ways to enjoy this bread, so let’s dive into some of my favorite variations and serving suggestions. Let me know how you wind up enjoying your caprese focaccia!
- Top your bread with arugula and drizzle on some balsamic for a fresh bread-salad appetizer.
- If you’re interested in adding even more flavor to your bread, you can play around with herbs like rosemary and thyme. They’re delicious in focaccia with the olive oil and flaky sea salt.
- Serve your caprese bread with the peach burrata salad so you can pile more cheese and some bright fruity flavor on top of your chewy focaccia.
- Focaccia has so much texture already, but you can sprinkle on some seeds like pumpkin or sunflower for even more variety.
- Since this dish is Italian, serve it with a glass of Lambrusco sangria or a limoncello martini if you want to stay on theme.
- Do you love garlic? Mix some olive oil and minced garlic together and use that to oil your dish and drizzle over your dough. You could also place roasted garlic cloves in the dimples you poke with your fingers.
- If your bread is being enjoyed as an appetizer, serve it with a lighter main dish like ratatouille or salmon and leek risotto.
- If you’re like me and want to eat the focaccia as your main dish, you could get even more creative with toppings and eat it like a pizza! Just think of the dough as your crust.
- For something sweet, bright, and light to end your meal, enjoy a no-bake lemon meringue cheesecake or this yummy summer berry trifle.
More Caprese Recipes To Try
- At Home Happy Hour with Roasted Heirloom Caprese
- Caprese Quinoa Salad
- Burrata Caprese
- Caprese Proscuitto Pizza
If you make this Caprese Focaccia Bread, be sure to tag me on Pinterest and Instagram!
I seriously love seeing what you guys are making and sharing your creations with the College Housewife community!
Caprese Focaccia Bread
ingredients
For bread:
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 3 tbsp olive oil for dough +more for pan
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp / 1 packet of instant yeast
- For Caprese Topping:
- 1-2 heirloom tomatoes thinly slices
- 8-10 mozzarella cheese slices
- 15-20 fresh basil leaves
- Flaky sea salt
- Olive oil for drizzling
instructions
- Drizzle a 9×13 inch baking sheet generously with olive oil and set aside.
- Mix Dough
- In a glass mixing glass mix together warm water, olive oil, honey, and kosher salt until the mixture is combined and foamy.
- Add flour to a large bowl fitted with a stand or hand mixer (or you can use a hand whisk) with a dough hook attachment, add the warm water and yeast mixture to the flour.
- Mix the dough together for 60 seconds. The dough will be very sticky.
- Cover it with a cloth, and let it rise for 1 hour in a dry place (I usually place mine in the oven unheated).
- Remove the dough and uncover. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the dough edge and into your hands. Need and fold the dough over 10-15 times with your hands. Cover the dough and let rise for an additional 30-40 minutes.
- When the dough is almost finished its second rising, preheat the oven to 375 F (but make sure you take the rising dough out of the oven before you start preheating).
- Transfer the dough onto the sheet.
- Poke holes in the top of the focaccia with your fingers and drizzle with olive oil. Spread olive oil evenly with a silicone pastry brush.
- Top bread with three rows of caprese toppings. Alternating with a thin slice of mozzarella, a thin slice of tomato and a basil leaf. Drizzle caprese toppings with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
notes
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