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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 super light and airy with a crispy golden crust.
We make focaccia every week in our house. It’s super easy to prep, unbelievably delicious, and the topping variations are endless.
If I plan on making it into sandwiches, I’ll often go with a simple herb topping like our oregano focaccia or use some fresh rosemary.
If I’m serving it by the slice, as a lunch or snack, then I get a bit more creative with the toppings. Cherry tomato and anchovy is a favourite, and now we absolutely love this roasted tomato focaccia topped with pesto and burrata.
The dough is super simple, and there’s no kneading involved, just 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 super quick and easy.
I 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
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It- 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: I 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: I 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: I am 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. I use homemade basil pesto every time!
Check your yeast: I 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 make sure to 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 just 1.5-2 hours to double in size, but during winter it can take up to 4 hours, so just keep an eye on it as it’s proofing.
That’s no problem; simply 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.
Other pesto options
If you want to try something different from basil pesto, we have a few other delicious pesto recipes that would be just as delicious as a focaccia topping. See some of our favourites below.
- Arugula Pesto (adds a peppery kick)
- Sun-dried tomato pesto (very umami and absolutely delicious)
- Parsley Pesto (this is such a great alternative to basil pesto)
- Pistachio Pesto (one of my favourite pesto recipes and is absolutely delicious with tomatoes and burrata)
More Focaccia recipes to try
Bread & Savory Bakes
Cherry Tomato Focaccia with Anchovies and Oregano
Pizza
Focaccia Pizza
Bread & Savory Bakes
Walnut Focaccia
Bread & Savory Bakes
Easy Overnight No Knead Focaccia
If you’ve tried this Roasted tomato and pesto focaccia or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest or sign up to our Newsletter to see more of our delicious food.
Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Tomato Focaccia with Pesto and Burrata
Equipment
- 14×11 inch baking tray (or similar size)
- Baking parchment
Ingredients
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
Instructions
- 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).
- 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).
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.
- 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).
- Repeat the fold once more, then leave it again for 30 minutes.
- 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 (I 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).
- 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.
- The next day, line a baking tray with baking parchment (we use a 14×11 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).
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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).
Video
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale – I 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.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
