This Shortcut Tomato Focaccia uses a can of refrigerated pizza dough to create a quick and easy bread recipe that’s just as delicious as it is beautiful!
As part of my partnership with the Alabama Farmer’s Federation, I get to share delicious Southern Bite recipes in their monthly magazine. I also get the honor of featuring a recipe from a hard working Alabama farm family. That’s where this recipe for Shortcut Tomato Focaccia comes from.
Mrs. Jan Parker, from St. Clair County, shared her shortcut focaccia recipe with us back in 2015 and we recently featured it again. It’s just such an ingenious shortcut, I just knew my Southern Bite family would appreciate it as well!
Now, I’ll admit, yeasted doughs can be a little intimidating. And even though they aren’t really hard to make, they do often take a considerable amount of time to allow the yeast to do its thing. So, using shortcuts when it comes to bread is something I’m no stranger to. My Garlic Parmesan Knots and Garlic Herb Pull-Apart Rolls are great examples.
What is focaccia?
Focaccia is a traditional leavened Italian bread that is oven-baked. It’s often likened to pizza dough, though pizza dough is baked immediately after being stretched and focaccia is most often allowed to rise again before baking.
It’s sometimes characterized by its bumpy texture created by using your fingers to make indentions across the surface of the dough before baking.
What makes this a shortcut version?
While the process of making a traditional yeasted focaccia can be a little intimidating for some folks, Jan uses a can of refrigerated pizza dough in her recipe, like Pillsbury Classic Crust Pizza Crust, to make the process even easier.
Ingredient FAQ
Canned Pizza Crust: Jan suggested using Pillsbury’s Classic Crust Pizza Crust that’s found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store right next to the canned cinnamon rolls and crescent rolls. I’ve only tested it with this brand, so I can’t verify if other brands work, but I don’t see why they wouldn’t – as long as they are similarly sized. I don’t recommend using the thin crust version. I also find that it’s easier to use this kind of dough when it’s still cold. At room temperature, it can be a little hard to shape and can tear easily when you stretch it out on your sheet pan.
Olive Oil: This is a place where using a good olive oil will pay off because it will add flavor. But, yes, you’re run-of-the-mill olive oil will work just fine. (That’s what I used.)
Tomatoes: You can use 2 large fresh tomatoes, 4 Roma tomatoes, or 1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes. Opting for tomatoes of varying color will give you a great presentation. Thinly slicing them and sandwiching them between paper towels will help to wick away excess moisture preventing your focaccia from getting soggy.
Parmesan: I used plain ol’ grated parm right out of the green plastic canister, but I’d imagine grated parmesan/romano blend would be great, too. You could use freshly grated as well.
Salt: I used some fancy flaky sea salt that I had in the pantry, but any flaked or coarse salt should work. I’m sort of wishing I’d had remembered the box of Maldon sea salt in the pantry when I made this last.
Herbs: With this recipe, you have some options when it comes to herbs. You can use fresh herbs, dried herbs, or you can leave them off altogether. Jan’s recipe specified using dried oregano and it was delicious. I also tested it with basil – which I think was my favorite. You’ll need about 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano or about 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh. If opting for basil, I’d suggest about 1/2 teaspoon of dried or about 2 teaspoons of fresh, chopped basil. You could also use about 12 to 14 medium whole basil leaves for a pretty presentation.
When using herbs, keep in mind that you’ll want to use fresh and dried a little differently. Dried herbs are ok to use before baking while fresh herbs like these are best to use after baking.
Recipe Card
Shortcut Tomato Focaccia
Ingredients
- 1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza dough (like Pillsbury)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large tomatoes (OR 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes)
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- dried or fresh herbs (see note)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400ยฐF. Lightly spray a metal cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Thinly slice the tomatoes and sandwich between a few sheets of paper towels to wick away excess moisture.
- Open the pizza dough and spread it out on the baking sheet to roughly 10×14-inches. Brush the dough with the olive oil. Use your finger tips to make indentions across the bread to give the focaccia its signature bumpy texture.
- Place the tomato slices across the dough. Sprinkle the cheese and salt over the top. If using dried herbs, sprinkle herbs over the top.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. If using fresh herbs, add them after baking. Cut into slices and serve warm.
Notes
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Margaret Richardson
I can’t wait to try this as my local grocery/deli has quit making it and I love to serve it.
Many thanks !
Stacey
Hope you enjoy it, Margaret!