Back To Basics- Homemade Focaccia Bread Recipe (Modify with Cherry Tomatoes + Bocconcini)

A good bread recipe is a recipe box staple. I’m always tempted by the beautiful, fluffy loaves of focaccia bread at the bakery… topped with cloves of garlic, olives, sundried tomatoes, sea salt and other delicious toppings, these beautiful loaves always wind up making their way into my grocery cart.

Focaccia is a really easy bread to make at home. I love making the dough in the morning, allowing it to rise during the day, and then baking a beautiful loaf to go with dinner.

I encourage you to play with this recipe, get creative and invent your own toppings to sprinkle on top. Have fun with it, because really, isn’t playing with flavors the best part of cooking?

A few of my favorite toppings are:

• Rosemary
• Fleur de sel
• Sundried Tomatoes
• Sliced green olives
• Sliced or minced garlic
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Parmesan
• Bocconcini
• Cheddar
• Jalapeños 

Read on for this delicious homemade focaccia bread recipe!

Homemade Focaccia Bread Recipe (Modify with Cherry Tomatoes & Bocconcini)   

Modified from: RicardoCuisine.com

Generously serves 8 people

Ingredients for the dough:

• 2 cups (500 ml) warm water
• 2 teaspoon (10 ml) instant yeast
• 2 teaspoon (10 ml) sugar
• 4 cups (1000 ml) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon (10 ml) salt
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) of olive oil (for baking sheet)

Make it cherry tomato and bocconcini focaccia with:

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
• 2 cups (500 ml) of your favorite cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Fleur de sel
• Pepper
• Handful of Bocconcini

Dough Preparation

1. In a large bowl with a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer using the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until a soft ball forms. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes on a floured work surface or in the stand mixer.

2. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. I like brushing the dough with a bit of olive oil as well. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm, humid place for 1 hour (or more), or until the dough has doubled in size.

Focaccia Preparation:

1. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 230 °C (450 °F).

2. On a 43 x 30-cm (17 x 12-inch) baking sheet, pour 125 ml (½ cup) of oil. Add dough and spread dough on the whole surface of the sheet with your fingers, turning it a few times to cover thoroughly with oil. Make small cavities in dough with your fingertips. Let rise for 30 minutes.

3. If making cherry tomato and bocconcini focaccia- In a bowl, combine tomatoes with remaining oil. Spread herbs, garlic and tomatoes on risen dough. Generously season with salt and pepper. 

4.Bake for about 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Top with sliced bocconcini for last 5 minutes of cooking. Let rest for 10 minutes to allow dough to absorb oil. Cut and serve.

Want to see just how easy this really was to make? Click play in the instagram photo below to watch the video (while you’re watching it, follow @HelloCreativeCrystal on Instagram!)

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Homemade Focaccia Bread Recipe (Modify with Cherry Tomatoes & Bocconcini)

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Ingredients for the dough

• 2 cups 500 ml warm water
• 2 teaspoon 10 ml instant yeast
• 2 teaspoon 10 ml sugar
• 4 cups 1000 ml all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon 10 ml salt
• 1/3 cup 80 ml of olive oil (for baking sheet)

Make it cherry tomato and bocconcini focaccia with

• 2 tablespoons 30 ml olive oil
• 2 cups 500 ml of your favorite cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon 5 ml chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon 5 ml chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
• Fleur de sel
• Pepper
• Handful of Bocconcini

Instructions

Dough Preparation

• In a large bowl with a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer using the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until a soft ball forms. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes on a floured work surface or in the stand mixer.
• Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm, humid place for 1 hour (or more), or until the dough has doubled in size.

Focaccia Preparation

• With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 230 °C (450 °F).
• On a 43 x 30-cm (17 x 12-inch) baking sheet, pour 125 ml (½ cup) of oil. Add dough and spread dough on the whole surface of the sheet with your fingers, turning it a few times to cover thoroughly with oil. Make small cavities in dough with your fingertips. Let rise for 30 minutes.
• If making cherry tomato and bocconcini focaccia- In a bowl, combine tomatoes with remaining oil. Spread herbs, garlic and tomatoes on risen. Generously season with salt and pepper.
• Bake for about 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Top with sliced bocconcini for last 5 minutes of cooking. Let rest for 10 minutes to allow dough to absorb oil. Cut and serve.

Notes

Modify with your own toppings like:
Rosemary
Fleur de sel
Sundried Tomatoes
Sliced green olives
Sliced or minced garlic
Cherry Tomatoes
Parmesan
Bocconcini
Cheddar
Jalapeños

Adapted from Ricardo Cuisine

Love this recipe?Follow @hellocreativef for even more fun party ideas!

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for inspiration for new meals ideas. I love browsing through the recipes at Ricardo Cuisine to get recipe ideas that I know my family will love! The site is easily organized so that you can browse through main courses, appetizers or desserts and even has recipes broken out by ingredients so that it’s easy to find inspiration for that flat of eggs, or pork tenderloin sitting in your fridge. They even have a section with vegetarian meals for those looking for inspiration for #MeatlessMonday. 

Follow Ricardo Cuisine on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Disclosure: Thank you to our friends at Ricardo Cuisine for working with us on this post. As with all posts on Hello Creative Family, all thoughts and opinions are 100% our own.

Tell us… What toppings would you put on your homemade focaccia?