When life gives you too many tomatoes, make this focaccia.
The deal my husband made me agree to when we started gardening: he would grow the tomatoes and I would cook them. Have I kept up my end of the bargain? Not at all.
The problem is, he’s just too dang good at growing them now and it’s more tomatoes than I can handle alone. Although he likes to constantly remind me of the original agreement, he has nonetheless been willing to make everything from salsa to pizza sauce, and even tomato jam.
I’m not completely slacking though—for my part I’ve been making a weekly tomato sourdough focaccia. It uses the inevitable sitting-around-too-long starting-to-get-squishy tomatoes. I just throw them right in the blender and bam! That’s the liquid for my focaccia dough.
Because I’m lazy, I don’t knead the dough, I just give it an overnight proof. As a reward for my laziness, it develops some solid sourdough flavor. That—in addition to the tomatoes, rosemary, and parmesan—makes for quite an umami-rich loaf.
At first I was putting about a dozen cherry tomatoes on top of this focaccia, but my husband rightfully pointed out that that was too skimpy. Since we’ve got plenty to spare anyways, I’m now shoving in as many as I can fit.
For lunches I like to pack a hunk of this bread with a rotating selection of meats, cheeses, and backyard veggies (which is often just more tomatoes to be honest). My husband calls it a “grown up lunchable” and, once again, he is not wrong.
More like this tomato sourdough focaccia:
If you aren’t flush with tomatoes, check out my no knead sourdough focaccia which can be made with whatever toppings you like. For more easy sourdough deliciousness that doesn’t require kneading, take a look at my full collection of no knead breads. And don’t snooze on my sourdough bread and sourdough discard collections, which include all kinds of tasty baked goods for both humans and their furry friends.
Tomato Sourdough Focaccia
Ingredients
- 213 grams (1½ cups) all-purpose flour
- 213 grams (1½ cups) bread flour or substitute all-purpose
- 8 grams (1⅓ tsp) fine salt
- 360 grams (1½ cups) blenderized tomatoes
- 30 grams (2 tbsp) active sourdough starter see note
- 50 grams (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil plus more for pan and topping plus more for pan and topping
- 8 oz (½ pint) cherry tomatoes cut in half, for topping
- Rosemary for topping
- Parmesan cheese grated, for topping
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, bread flour, and salt.
- Add blenderized tomatoes, sourdough starter, and olive oil. Mix just until a shaggy dough forms. Cover loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 20-30 minutes.
- With wet hands, stretch and fold the sides of the dough into the middle until the dough becomes a fairly smooth ball. Avoid overworking the dough, stop once all the remaining dry bits are incorporated.
- Transfer dough to a clear bowl or container. Mark the position of the top of the dough with a washable marker or rubber band. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and proof until doubled in volume, about 8-12 hours (see note).
- Grease the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan with about 1-2 tbsps olive oil, or generously butter a casserole dish. Transfer dough to pan. With wet hands, press your fingers into the dough repeatedly, starting from the middle and working your way out until the dough reaches the edges of the pan. If dough starts to resist further stretching, stop and allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes before stretching further.
- Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise until puffy and about doubled in volume, around 2-4 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400°. Cover the top of the dough with about 1-2 tbsps olive oil. Shove halved cherry tomatoes into the dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough with rosemary and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and internal temperature of at least 200°. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Focaccia is best enjoyed within 1-2 days of baking. Alternatively, it can be frozen in an airtight bag, and thawed in the fridge or at room temperature.
