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A roasted cherry tomato focaccia with anchovies. Light, soft and fluffy on the inside with a crunchy crust this simple focaccia recipe is a great snack, side or appetizer.
Focaccia is one of those things I find so therapeutic to make. Only a few simple, pantry ingredients are needed to make a soft and light focaccia dough. I Knead the dough until it’s nice and smooth then leave it to rise while I go and relax with a cup of tea. On dark, cloudy and chilly days there’s nothing better than baking something delicious and this recipe is perfect for that.
This simple cherry tomato focaccia is made with small fresh plum or cherry tomatoes and canned, salted anchovies. The simple ingredients add massive flavour to this focaccia, it’s incredibly delicious. You can pretty much top your focaccia with anything you have and you can adapt it to make it your own, it’s a great way to use up leftover ingredients. I’ve listed below some other options you can try.
Focaccia toppings;
- Zucchini tomato focaccia
- Olives
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Artichokes
- Red grape focaccia with mozzarella
- Cured meats
- Roasted vegetables
- Rosemary focaccia with mozzarella
- Galric and herbs
How to make focaccia dough – step by step
Making the dough is very simple and the more you do it the more natural it becomes. First add the yeast to the lukewarm water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast and water and start to mix it together with a metal spoon then add the olive oil and mix together until a rough dough forms.
Shape the dough into a ball and knead on a lightly floured surface for around 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Shape the dough into a nice round ball and place in a lightly oiled clean bowl. Cover with cling film and sit the dough in a dry warm place for 2-3 hours or until doubled in size.
How to make cherry tomato focaccia with anchovies
Once the dough has risen, knock the air out by pressing down on it with your fist. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled baking tray and press it out into a flat rectangle or circle shape.
it should be around 1/4 inch in thickness but you can adjust it to your liking by making it thicker or thinner. Use your fingers to make dimples all over the top of the dough then sprinkle over 1 tsp of olive oil. Rub the oil all over the top and let it form little pools in some of the dimples.
Next press the tomatoes gently into the top of the dough, scattering them all over and top with anchovies. Sprinkle over a pinch of pepper then bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
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Cherry tomato focaccia with anchovies
Ingredients
For the dough
- 4 cups (500g) type 0 flour*, , (see notes)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp (7g) dried fast action yeast
- 13.5 fl oz (400ml) lukewarm water
- 1 tsp salt
For the topping
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 8 salted anchovy fillets
- 1 pinch pepper
Instructions
- First add the yeast to the lukewarm water and let it sit for 5 minutes
- Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast and water and start to mix it together with a metal spoon then add 1 tbsp of olive oil and mix together until a rough dough forms.
- Shape the dough into a ball and knead on a lightly floured surface for around 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Shape the dough into a nice round ball and place in a lightly oiled clean bowl. Cover with cling film and sit the dough in a dry warm place for 2-3 hours or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/425F/gas mark 7. Once the dough has risen, knock the air out by pressing down on it with your fist. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled baking tray and press it out into a flat rectangle or circle shape.
- It should be around 1/4 inch in thickness but you can adjust it to your liking by making it thicker or thinner. Use your fingers to make dimples all over the top of the dough then sprinkle over 1 tsp of olive oil. Rub the oil all over the top and let it form little pools in some of the dimples.
- Next press the tomatoes gently into the top of the dough, scattering them all over and top with anchovies. Sprinkle over a pinch of pepper then bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve warm out the oven or at room temperature.
Notes
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.
Looks amazing and love how the pictures came out!
Thanks so much.