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Skip the trip to Trader Joe’s, and make this pillowy parmesan tomato focaccia!
I live almost an hour away from a Trader Joe’s and it seems like our location sells out of these Focaccia breads. I don’t see them when I go.
Recently, I saw these incredible Turkey Pesto Sandwiches that Pinch of Yum posted. They were made with this tomato and parmesan focaccia bread that I just had to try!
The focaccia loaf looked like it was drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, had a handful of aromatic herbs, roasted tomatoes, and a generous dusting of finely-grated Parmesan cheese.
It really looked incredible!
Of course, I made the Roasted Tomato and Parmesan Focaccia from scratch because that’s how I am.
I’ve made this focaccia bread with sourdough starter and without (using plain yeast). Either one works fantastic and I’ll make sure I leave notes below on how to switch it up.
I also happened to serve it a ladies brunch recently and was asked for the recipe.
If you want an amazing deli-style sandwich bread, you need to try this tomato focaccia! It’s so good on its own, too! I got rave reviews at the ladies brunch and comments like “this tastes like a Panera sandwich”!
And if I may say, these do taste incredible and are easy to make!
- Alyona
Developing the Tomato & Parmesan Topping:
The topping is actually quite simple. I took the herb topping from my popular Subway Bread Recipe and just used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes (drained).
When the loaf comes out of the oven, drizzle it lightly with olive oil and shake on finely-grated Parmesan cheese. I like to go across the loaf so, you can see some of the toppings below.
How to Make Focaccia Bread:
For the Focaccia I took my favorite focaccia bread recipe and made it with this tomato and parmesan topping. I’m going to walk you through how to make this tomato and parmesan focaccia, step-by-step.
Make the Focaccia Bread Dough
The first thing to do is to make the focaccia dough. In a large bowl whisk together the water, olive oil, honey, and yeast. Stir in the flour and salt and let it sit for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, perform a set of four, stretch and folds every 15-20 minutes. Then allow the dough to bulk ferment for 1.5 hours.
Once the dough has risen and has air bubbles, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and coat it with 3 T of oil. I prefer to use a mild-flavored avocado oil for this part.
You need to use a substantial amount of oil otherwise it will stick to your pans after it bakes.
Transfer the dough face down into the pan and fold it like a letter. Then flip the seam down. Cover the dough with parchment paper (so it doesn’t dry out). And let it rise 1-2 hours.
When the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Make The Herb Topping:
In a small mixing bowl combine dried oregano, dried garlic powder, and finely-grated parmesan cheese (the kind from a green shaker). This amount is enough for all the focaccia dough.
When the bread has risen in the pans, drizzle the top lightly with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle generously with the garlic, parmesan, herb topping.
Drain a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and sprinkle it over the herb topping.
Dimple the dough by making indents with your fingers.
Bake the Focaccia
Move the pans into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. The bottoms should be golden brown and the internal temperature should read 180-190°F.
Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack. Drizzle very lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with finely-grated parmesan cheese.
Now you can make delicious sandwiches!
Freezing
Because this recipe makes a huge sheet pan or multiple smaller pans worth, it is a good idea to freeze the focaccia loaves.
Try to fit each loaf into a clear bag after it cools and close it with a twist tie. You can double wrap the loaf with a grocery bag if needed. Freeze for up to 3 months for best flavor. It’s best to fit one loaf to a bag at a time.
I happened to freeze these sliced, after the photo shoot.
I think it’s very important to toast the focaccia after the freezer (for at least 8 minutes if thawed). After the freezer the bread seems to be super moist from the tomatoes so, definitely consider reviving it before using.
To Reheat: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toast the focaccia in the oven for 5-8 minutes (if thawed) or bake from frozen for 15-18 minutes. You want the loaf to be hot and fresh again.
Slicing
If you are planning to make focaccia for sandwiches it is best to make it on the thicker side so that the toppings can lay sturdy on the bread. The bigger the pan the more spread out and thinner the focaccia will be.
I like to use three different sized smaller pans and don’t spread it corner to corner. Leave a boarder so it can be thicker.
After the focaccia bread bakes, set it on a cooling rack to cool. Once it’s cool take a sharp serrated knife and carefully slice horizontally through the center of the loaf. Don’t flip the top and lose those yummy crumbles. Keep the top piece flat, setting it down facing up.
FAQ’s about Roasted Tomato and Parmesan Focaccia
Can I use regular diced tomatoes or sun-dried?
Yes! My first attempt was actually making them with regular canned diced tomatoes. Using sun-dried tomatoes would be just as delicious, if not better!
What is the entire time preparation of this bread?
It takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes to make this focaccia bread from start to finish. It does require slow fermentation (with yeast or starter) and thus requires more time. However, it’s mostly hands off and only requires some stretching and shaping.
Can I halve this recipe?
I like to keep some bread in the freezer, so making a decent amount doesn’t bother me. By decent, I mean about four Trader Joe’s sized roasted tomato focaccia’s.
If you think that’s too much, scale the recipe in half and make two small loaves. I just don’t like to keep leftover canned goods in my fridge so, I prefer to use the whole can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes for this recipe.
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Roasted Tomato and Parmesan Focaccia (Trader Joes Copycat)
Equipment
- 1 fine-mesh sieve, (to drain tomatoes)
- 1 small mixing bowl, (to make herb parmesan topping)
Ingredients
Focaccia Dough:
- 1000 grams bread flour
- 3 1/2 cups warm water
- 3 tsp dry active yeast , (or 1 cup active sourdough starter, see notes**)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 4 tsp sea salt
Tomato and Parmesan Herb Topping:
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese , (finely grated from a shaker)
- 14.5 oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes, (fully drained and squeezed to remove excess liquid)
- additional parmesan cheese and olive oil for garnish
- 9 Tbsp avocado oil for greasing pans , (3 Tbsp per pan)
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together 3 cups water, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp honey, and 3 tsp yeast (or 1 cup starter if using). Stir in the flour and 4 tsp salt. Let it rest 15 minutes.
- Do stretch and folds every 15 minutes a total of four times.
- Bulk rise and cover for 1.5 hours. If using sourdough rise for 3-4 hours.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and add 3 Tbsp of oil per pan.
- Divide your dough into 3 or four pieces (depending on how many pans you're using) and place each piece face down into the pans. Fold into a letter, then flip seam down.
- Cover dough with parchment paper to prevent it from drying out. Let the dough rise 1-2 hours in the pans.
- Meanwhile, make the parmesan herb topping by mixing together, 1 Tbsp oregano, 2 T garlic powder, and 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese. Then drain 1 can of diced tomatoes. Set this aside.
- When the dough has risen in the pans, drizzle the tops lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with the herb topping. Sprinkle the tops with diced tomatoes and dimple the dough using your hands.
- Bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes.
Notes
- If using 1 cup of sourdough starter, you can reduce the liquid to 3 cups water. I’ve also left the water at 3.5 cups using starter, it will be more moist and airy.
- This recipe makes about 4 Trader Joe’s (14 oz) focaccia loaves. I used 3 different sized pans to make it. However, you can use four 10×7 Nordic ware pans to yield four even sized loaves.
- You could use one 18×13 sheet pan.
- Be sure to drain the diced tomatoes well and squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can.
- I used Kraft parmesan cheese from a shaker container.
- This focaccia bread freezes well. I recommend you leaving it whole so, it would be easier to assemble sandwiches. Otherwise you need to slice each individual piece and make into a sandwich. Whereas, you can slice the entire loaf and load with toppings, then slice.
Nutrition (per serving)
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