vonfo

Roasted Tomato Focaccia, plus Pesto and Burrata

  • Makes 8 - 10 servings
  • Prep 4 hours
  • Cook 20 minutes
  • Total 18 hours 20 minutes
Roasted Tomato Focaccia, plus Pesto and Burrata

Roasted tomato focaccia topped with lots of homemade basil pesto and creamy burrata cheese. Made with our easy no-knead focaccia dough this focaccia is light and airy with a crispy golden crust.

We make focaccia every week in our house. It's easy to prep, unbelievably good, and the topping variations are endless.

If we plan on making it into sandwiches, we'll often go with a simple herb topping like our oregano focaccia or use some fresh rosemary.

If we're serving it by the slice, as a lunch or snack, then we get a bit more creative with the toppings. Cherry tomato and anchovy is a favourite, and now we love this roasted tomato focaccia topped with pesto and burrata.

The dough is simple, and there's no kneading involved, some simple stretch and folds. Watch the quick video in the recipe card showing you how to do this; it might sound complicated, but it's quick and easy.

We do recommend prepping the dough 1 day in advance, allowing it to proof in the fridge overnight, which gives it more structure and flavour.

Ingredient notes

Ingredients laid out on a rustic wooden surface to make a focaccia with cherry tomatoes, basil pesto and burrata.
  • Italian 00 flour or bread flour: either of these flours works well for making focaccia. Make sure your flour has at least 12% protein, which helps to create the focaccia's airy texture and classic chew.
  • Yeast: we use instant yeast/instant dry yeast, which doesn't need to be activated in water first.
  • Pesto ingredients (fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, and olive oil): you can swap the pine nuts for other nuts such as walnuts or pistachios, and you can use Pecorino or Parmigiano for this.
  • Cherry tomatoes: we used a mix of red and orange cherry tomatoes.
  • Burrata: stracciatella would also work, or you could use fresh ricotta.

Recipe tips

Use homemade pesto: we are not a fan of jarred pesto of any kind because it tastes nowhere near as good as homemade pesto, and it takes less than 5 minutes to whip up in a food processor. We use homemade basil pesto every time!

Check your yeast: we use instant yeast that can be added directly into the flour. Some forms of dry yeast need to be activated in water for 5-15 minutes prior to mixing the dough, so check your packet instructions before starting.

Watch your dough: your dough's proofing time will depend greatly on your room temperature. During a hot summer, your dough can take 1.5-2 hours to double in size, but during winter it can take up to 4 hours, so keep an eye on it as it's proofing.

Our yeast needs to be activated first. What do we do?

That's no problem; use some of the water from the recipe to activate your yeast according to your packet instructions, then add it to the flour with the remaining water.

A close up of a hand holding a slice of focaccia showing the airy and light texture inside.

Other pesto options

If you want to try something different from basil pesto, we have a few other good pesto recipes that would be as good as a focaccia topping. See some of our favourites below.

More Focaccia recipes to try

An overhead shot of a cherry tomato and anchovy focaccia cut into slices with a glass of beer at the side.

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Walnut Focaccia

Golden, rustic focaccia bread sliced into rectangular pieces, with a crisp, dimpled crust, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a light seasoning of herbs, resting on a stone surface.

Bread & Savory Bakes

Overnight No Knead Focaccia

Ingredients

Makes 8 - 10 servings

For the dough

  • 500 g Italian 00 flour or bread flour ((approx 3 and 3/4 cups spooned and levelled))
  • 400 ml water ((1 and 2/3 cups))
  • 1 g (1/4 teaspoon) instant yeast ((please see notes))
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil (plus around 4-6 tablespoons for greasing and topping)
  • 7 g (1 level teaspoon) fine salt (plus sea salt flakes for topping)

For the pesto

  • 30 g fresh basil ((2 packed cups))
  • 15 g (1/8 cup) pine nuts ((about 2 tablespoons))
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 25 g Parmigiano Reggiano ((about ¼ cup finely grated))
  • 45 ml (3 tablespoons) olive oil
  • Salt (to taste)

For the topping

  • 15 cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
  • 1 ball burrata
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt flakes

Equipment

  • inch baking tray
  • Baking parchment

Method

  1. Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the yeast and salt to opposite ends of the bowl. Please check your packet instructions to see if your yeast needs to be activated in water first (see notes).

  2. Add the water and olive oil and stir the dough with a spoon until there are no dry bits left. It should look very wet and sticky (photos 1 and 2).

  3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.

  4. Next, uncover the bowl and wet your hands well with water. Using one hand, fold each edge of the dough into the middle (see photos or video for reference). This takes just a few seconds. Re-cover the bowl and let it rest for another 30 minutes (photos 3 and 4).

  5. Repeat the fold once more, then leave it again for 30 minutes.

  6. Next, wet your hands again and do a coil fold. To do this, pick the dough up from the middle and stretch it upwards until you start to feel the edges come away from the bowl. Release the dough then do this again up to 3-4 times until you can lift the dough right out of the bowl without tearing it.

    Place the dough back in the bowl, letting the ends fold in on themselves. Repeat it from the opposite edge you started with (we recommend watching the quick video below as this is a very simple technique but can sound so complicated written out). Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes then repeat this another two times with 30 minutes rest in between (photos 5 and 6).

  7. Cover the bowl and let it proof until doubled in size (about 2-4 hours). Once doubled, refrigerate the dough overnight or up to 48 hours.

  8. The next day, line a baking tray with baking parchment (we use a 14x11 inch tray). Add a small drizzle of olive oil under the parchment so it sticks to the tray then drizzle more on top (about 2-3 tablespoons).

  9. Remove the dough from the fridge and tip it on your baking tray. Fold the two longest ends over each other, then turn the dough over so the seam is underneath. Drizzle with more oil and cover it with plastic wrap (cling film). Let the dough proof until doubled in size (around 1-3 hours depending on room temperature) (photos 7 and 8).

  10. Preheat the oven to 230C (450F). Oil your hands well, then create dimples all over the dough using your fingers; try not to burst any air bubbles.

  11. Top the dough with cherry tomatoes, pushing them gently down into the dough cut side up, then sprinkle it all with sea salt. Give it another light drizzle of olive oil, then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes (photos 9 and 10)

To make the pesto

  1. Put all the pesto ingredients in a food processor or use a bowl and an immersion blender and blitz until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed.

  2. Once ready, remove the focaccia from the oven; we like to drizzle more olive oil over it. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes, then top with dollops of burrata and pesto. Use as much or as little as you like (photos 11 and 12).

Kitchen notes

  • Use a kitchen scale We highly recommend using a kitchen scale, especially for weighing flour, as there's a lot of room for error when using cups.
  • Leftovers and storage the focaccia is best eaten the same day. Once cool, wrap it in foil to keep it as fresh as possible.

More Bread and bakes recipes

Other plates from this part of the kitchen, each with its own ingredient list.