Focaccia Caprese Topped With Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Basil
Focaccia Caprese is a focaccia topped the Caprese Style. ‘Caprese’ style refers to the style or the kind made in Capri, which is an island off the Italian coast near Naples.
¼ cupOil preferably olive oil plus more to brush on top
For the toppings –
2-3tomatoesTomatoessliced thin
12ozFresh Mozzarellasliced thin to about 18 slices
½ cupFresh basil leavescut into thin strips
¼ cupHerbed oil
To make the herbed oil –
¼ cupOlive oil
1teaspoonDried oregano
1teaspoonDried basil
½ teaspoonCrushed red chili flakes
1teaspoonGarlicfinely minced
to tasteSalt
Instructions
To make the herbed oil –
Mix all the ingredients mentioned under the herbed oil and whisk it together. Keep it aside until needed. I made this well ahead of time (about 4 hrs earlier) to make the flavors combine.
To make the dough –
I made the dough in my stand mixer. You could either use the food processor or knead the dough by hand.
In the bowl of the mixer, add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and oil and mix it to combine.
Now add 1 cup of warm water (and more if needed) and mix well to form dough. Knead until you have smooth and elastic dough (just short of being sticky).
Shape the dough into a ball and place it a well oiled bowl, turning it over once to coat evenly. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let it rise in a warm place until double in volume (about an hour).
Shaping the dough –
I made the focaccia in my deep cookie baking tray and I made 2 medium sized (11 x 7) focaccia. You could also make them into 4 smaller ones if preferred.
Once the dough has rested, divide it into two equal parts and then stretch it out or roll it evenly to form a rectangle (about 11 x 7). It need not be perfectly shaped as focaccia is rustic bread and it is alright to have an odd shape. Repeat the same with the other dough portion.
Place the shaped dough on to the well oiled baking tray. The dough might shrink a bit, so make sure that you pull it out and stretch to have uniform thickness.
Let the shaped dough rest for about 20 minutes. Now oil your fingers and then create evenly spaced dimples all around the dough. Brush the surface generously with oil.
Baking the Foccacia Caprese -
Preheat the oven to 410 F and bake for about 18-20 minutes until the focaccia begins to turn golden brown.
Take the focaccia out of the oven and then turn the temperature up to 450 F.
Lightly drizzle half of the herbed oil on top of the focaccia and then evenly split and arrange the mozzarella slice over the bread, leaving very little space in between.
Now arrange the tomato slices over the cheese and then sprinkle the chopped basil leaves over it.
Drizzle the remaining herbed oil on top and the return it to the oven to bake for 6 – 8 minutes until the cheese begins to melt. Remove from the oven and garnish with more fresh basil leaves (if preferred).
Slice the focaccias and serve it when warm.
Notes
If you cannot find bread flour using all-purpose flour mixed with 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten. If not, just use the regular all-purpose flour.