Fresh Tomato Focaccia Hearth Bread and Flatbread Discuss Fresh Tomato Focaccia in the Brick Oven Cooking forums; I was wondering if any of you had any luck with making focaccia with fresh tomato on top. Every time ...

[Loren]

I was wondering if any of you had any luck with making focaccia with fresh tomato on top. Every time I try this it takes a very long time to cook compared to plain or pesto focaccia and the dough seems to be uncooked in the middle.

I use Peter Reinhart's recipe I got from class, when he made it came out much better. I used heirloom tomatoes, maybe I should start using Roma's because they have a much lower water content. I cooked the regular focaccia about 10 minutes at 500 degrees, I must have left the tomato in an additional 5-10 minutes.

Here is a pic before they went in, I don't have any from when they came out… too busy cutting and eating.

Loren

[texassourdough]

Hi Loren!

Water content is a big problem with focaccia. Anything very wet will soak the dough. I would suggest oven roasting any tomatoes to be used on focaccia - Roma or otherwise - to knock down the wetness. Besides, it will add flavor! (Reinhart has roasted tomato recipes but the gist is an oven temp between 150 and 250; arrange cut halves cut side up on a sheet pan; sprinkle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a tiny amount of sugar; put in oven until they are somewhat dry. The lower temps dry out the tomatoes, the higher temps give you a bit of caramelization - eventually. I like to do cherry tomatoes.)

Good luck!
Jay

[Loren]

Now that you menton it he may have roasted the tomatoes in the class. I guess I should go back and actualy look at his recipe