There’s nothing quite like tearing into a piece of warm homemade focaccia fresh from the oven, especially when it’s topped with the flavors of a classic Caprese salad. This no-knead Sourdough Caprese Focaccia is infused with fragrant basil flower oil, studded with sweet cherry tomatoes and creamy mozzarella, and finished with fresh basil leaves.
The dough comes together in minutes the night before, letting the sourdough starter do most of the work the next day. Homemade bread doesn’t get any easier (or more delicious) than this!
Whether you’re serving it as an appetizer, a side to summer dinners, or for breakfast, this focaccia is as eye-catching as it is flavorful.
Recipe highlights
- No kneading required. Literally all you have to do is mix a few ingredients together, stretch the dough a couple of times, and let it sit. The long fermentation process develops flavor and gluten for you.
- Classic flavor combo. Roasted cherry tomatoes, milky mozzarella, and bright fresh basil make it taste like summer.
- Amazing textures. Chewy, fluffy focaccia, bursting tomatoes, and crispy golden cheese pockets make this bread a delight to tear into.
- Make-ahead friendly. You can prep the dough the night before and bake the next day.
- Showstopper presentation. The colors and textures on this focaccia are stunning!
Recipe overview
⏱️Prep: 20 min • Bake: 25-30 min • Total: ~17 hours (includes resting & proofing)
🍴Yield: Makes one big loaf of focaccia that fills a sheet pan or 13×9 pan
💪Skill level: Intermediate. The bread is very simple to make, but a little bit of patience and “bread baker’s intuition” will certainly help you!
How to make sourdough Caprese focaccia
For full recipe details, scroll down to the recipe card towards the bottom of this page.
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this lovely homemade bread:
- Mix the dough. Stir together your active sourdough starter with water, sugar, basil flower oil, flour, and salt until you have a shaggy mass. Rest for an hour, then give the dough a couple of stretches to develop the gluten.
- Ferment overnight. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
- Pan and proof. Oil your baking sheet with basil flower oil, place the dough on top, and let it rest, stretching it gently in intervals until airy and doubled.
- Top and bake. Dimple the dough with your fingertips, scatter cherry tomatoes and mozzarella on top, drizzle with more basil flower oil, and bake until golden.
- Finish and serve. Add fresh basil leaves just before serving for that final pop of flavor and color.
Top tips for successful sourdough focaccia
Start with an active starter. Make sure your sourdough starter is at its bubbly peak before mixing the dough. This will ensure a good rise and those beautiful air pockets in your bread.
Use basil flower oil for flavor. If you have fresh basil, using an infused oil adds a subtle, herbal complexity to really nail down that Caprese flavor. I used this gorgeous homemade basil flower oil, but you can also just use regular olive oil.
Don’t rush the proofing. The second rise (after shaping into the pan) is crucial for that light, airy texture. Depending on your kitchen temperature, it may take several hours.
Dimple delicately. When dimpling the dough, press all the way down to the pan but keep your touch gentle so you don’t knock out the air bubbles or tear the dough.
Press in toppings. When you add the tomatoes and mozzarella to the dimpled dough, press them in gently so they don’t pop out as the dough rises in the oven.
Bake until golden on top and bottom. The bottom should have a crisp crust; if it’s still pale, give it a few more minutes in the oven.
Substitutions & variations
Tomatoes: Swap cherry tomatoes for your favorite variety of fresh tomatoes, either diced or cut into thin slices. Find a list of my favorite tomatoes on my recipe for Heirloom Tomato Galettes.
Cheese: Use Ciliegine (larger mozzarella balls), mozzarella pearls (smaller mozzarella balls), or cheese chopped from a log of fresh mozz. Or, try burrata for extra creaminess.
Oil: If you don’t want to make basil flower oil, any high-quality olive oil works just fine. Or, make a quicker version of basil oil by briefly warming some olive oil with fresh basil leaves and then plucking the leaves out before using.
Baking pan: You can bake the sourdough focaccia in a rimmed baking sheet or a 13×9-inch pan, the latter of which will produce a bread that is slightly thicker.
Serving suggestions
This lovely Caprese focaccia is an awesome snack on its own, served warm, room temperature, or even cold from the fridge. Here’s a few more ideas to enjoy:
The perfect Caprese appetizer. Cut focaccia into squares and serve warm or at room temperature with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
Next-level open-face sandwiches. Top slices with pesto, grilled vegetables, and fresh greens. Or, top with thick slices of heirloom tomatoes, a slab of mozzarella, and a drizzle of balsamic. A BLT would also be glorious with this bread!
A stunning side dish. Perfect alongside pasta, grilled meats, soup, or a big entree salad.
Storage
Store leftover focaccia in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. I don’t recommend keeping it at room temperature much longer than that, especially if your house is quite warm. The tomatoes hold a lot of moisture, which makes this bread more perishable than your average homemade sourdough.
To refresh, warm in a 350°F oven for 5–7 minutes, or under a low broiler for a few minutes.
For longer storage, keep sourdough Caprese focaccia in the refrigerator in a freezer bag for up to a week, or wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.
If you love making savory bread recipes, be sure to try my Sourdough Focaccia with Edible Flowers, Garlic Herb Sourdough, Rosemary Sea Salt Sourdough, or Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sourdough.
If you make this Sourdough Caprese Focaccia, please leave a star rating and comment below. I’d love to hear what you think or answer any questions. Thank you!
Sourdough Caprese Focaccia
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet or 13×9-inch pan
Ingredients
- 100 grams bubbly, active sourdough starter
- 8 grams (2 teaspoons) sugar
- 340 grams water
- 20 grams basil flower oil*, or additional water
- 400 grams bread flour
- 100 grams all purpose flour
- 10 grams kosher or sea salt
For topping:
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or whole
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella balls
- 2 tablespoons additional basil flower oil, or regular olive oil
- Coarse sea salt, optional
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, (use after baking)
Instructions
The night before:
- In a large bowl, whisk together sourdough starter, water, sugar, and basil flower oil. Add flour and salt, mixing to form a rough mass.
- Cover and allow dough to rest about an hour.
- After initial resting period, give the dough a stretch and fold: Pull dough from one side and give it a long stretch, then fold dough back to the middle. Turn bowl a quarter turn, stretch again and fold back to the middle. Repeat on all four sides, cover the dough back up, and allow it to rest again.
- After another 30 minutes, give the dough another stretch and fold. Let the dough sit another 30-60 minutes at room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest overnight in the refrigerator, about 12 or more hours.
The next morning:
- Remove dough from refrigerator and let warm up slightly, about 30 minutes or so.
- Oil a rimmed baking sheet with the basil flower oil, spreading with your fingers or a pastry brush to cover the entire surface. Alternatively, you can also use a 13×9-inch pan for this (you'll get a slightly thicker final bread).
- Remove dough from bowl with oiled hands and place on baking sheet, flipping to coat with olive oil. Use your fingers to gently stretch and flatten the dough just a little bit. You don't want to stretch it to fit the pan at this point – just let it rest for now.
- Cover with an inverted sheet pan or well-oiled plastic wrap and let the dough rest at least an hour. Press the dough gently to flatten and stretch it slightly. If using a rimmed baking sheet, it still won’t fill the pan. This is totally fine!
- Leave the dough to rest again another 2-4 hours, or until doubled and bubbly. This may take a while depending on your sourdough starter and your room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- Use the fingers of both your hands to dimple the dough (as if you're planning the piano), pressing your fingers all the way to the sheet pan. Dimple entire surface of dough, stretching very gently as you go but being careful not to tear the dough.
- Arrange tomatoes and mozzarella balls all over the dough, pressing them into the dough slightly.
- Drizzle additional basil flower oil over bread and toppings. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until bread is golden brown on the top and bottom. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes, then sprinkle fresh basil leaves** over bread. Let bread cool at least another 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
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