Tomatoes are the most underrated focaccia toppings, let me tell you why. Fresh tomatoes are tart and extra juicy even after it is baked. It is able to keep your focaccia moist and provide a burst of freshness. Sun dried tomatoes on the other hand, provides incredible flavor and maintains its texture.
This tomato sourdough focaccia is bouncy and soft on the inside with a crispy edge. It is packed with flavor so it’s amazing all on its own. But it also makes a delicious sandwich bread since tomato goes with almost anything.
INGREDIENTS:
Tray size: 33cm x 23cm (13″ x 9″)
DOUGH-
- 400ml Water
- 100-120g Active Sourdough Starter
- 500g Bread Flour
- 1.5tsp Salt
- 3tsp Water
OTHER-
- Olive Oil
- 150g Cherry Tomatoes
- 4 Cloves of Garlic
- 150g Sun-dried Tomatoes (about half a jar I got from Tesco, this does not need to be exact)
- Basil (fresh or dried)
- Oregano (fresh or dried)
- Flakey Sea Salt (Level up with smoked flakey sea salt)
STEPS:
- Combine water and active sourdough starter. Whisk to dissolve the starter
- Add flour and mix until homogenous. Cover the mixture with a wet tea towel and leave at room temp to rest for 20min
- Add salt and water to the top of the dough then knead until fully combined
- Perform 2-3 rounds of stretch and folds or coil folds. Wet your hands slightly to prevent it from sticking to you.
- Stretch and Fold Option:
- Grab one side of your dough and pull it up to stretch the dough and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat this action until you have made your way all around the dough. Cover and leave for 30min
- Repeat these stretch and rest processes 2-3 more times
- Coil Fold Option:
- Using both hands, slide your hands under the dough from opposing sides. When your finger tips meet at the bottom center of the dough, begin to pull up. You will see the dough begin to stretch out. Place the dough back into the bowl aiming to tuck the ends of the dough under itself. Rotate the bowl and perform the same action
- Do this action 3-4 times or until you notice the dough no longer wants to be stretched. You will notice the more times you do this, the tighter the dough gets and the surface becomes more smooth
- Stretch and Fold Option:
- After the 3rd round of stretch fold/coil fold, place the smooth dough into a large bowl or pot and cover it with a wet tea towel to bulk ferment. You can either place this into the fridge and leave it overnight until its doubles in size, or you can leave it at room temp/warm environment for 3-4hrs. The timing for this can vary but look for it to get double/triple in size and it should become jiggly
- Line a baking tray with parchment and add a generous layer of olive oil on the bottom. Transfer the dough into the baking tray and gently stretch the corners of the dough to encourage it to spread evenly. Leave this in a warm environment for 2hrs to allow the dough to relax and spread into the baking tray. Give it more time if you live somewhere cold or if the dough looks like it can keep rising
- While you are waiting, slice cherry tomatoes in half and set aside
- Rough chop garlic and place it into a bowl
- Rough chop sun-dried tomatoes and add it to the garlic. Give the two a toss so the garlic is evenly dispersed
- If you are using fresh herbs, rough chop and place in a bowl
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C
- When the dough has spread out evenly in the tray, it’s visibly jiggly, and risen to be puffy. Drizzle olive generously across the top of the dough and drizzle some herb oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
- Sprinkle on the herbs
- Oil your fingers and begin to dimple the dough. Insert your fingers into the dough and when you reach the bottom of the baking tray, gently shake your hands side to side then pull your fingers out. Continue to do this all along the dough. You will begin to see bubbles start to form and rise to the surface
- Evenly spread the chunks of sun-dried tomatoes across the dough then add the sliced cherries tomatoes. Try to avoid popping any of the air bubbles. Press the cherry tomatoes into the dough as much as possible
- Sprinkle on flakey sea salt
- Pop your focaccia into the oven at 200°C for about 25min or until the top is golden
- Transfer your focaccia onto a wire rack to cool and enjoy!