Prepared in just 10 minutes, this Easy Focaccia Recipe with Tomatoes requires no kneading and minimal prep work but tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen. Baked in less than 30 minutes it’s a hands-off tomato focaccia recipe perfect for an afternoon snack, pre-dinner appetizer, or even just a low-key dinner!
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Focaccia Recipe
We’re obsessed with focaccia bread! Easy to make, super versatile, and ridiculously delicious, there’s nothing it doesn’t go with. However, this easy tomato focaccia is one of our all-time favorite variations! Here are just a few reasons why:
- It requires no kneading and super minimal prep work.
- Quick to make, it bakes in just 30 minutes and leaves your home smelling amazing.
- Great for
meal prep , it stays fresh for days. - From soups, to stews, and more, there’s nothing it can’t be served with!
What Is Focaccia?
Pronounced fo-kah-cha, focaccia is a type of Italian flatbread that’s made with similar ingredients as pizza dough and served in both sweet and savory variations. Believed to have originated in the Liguira providence of Italy, focaccia is typically flatted down to roughly ½-1 inch thick and contains indentations all throughout the surface. Made with a base of olive oil, herbs, and cheese, the flatbread is believed to have been a precursor for modern-day pizza but is still enjoyed throughout the world.
Is Focaccia the Same as Pizza Dough?
Although similar, focaccia and pizza dough are not quite the same. The primary difference between the two is the amount of yeast that is added to the dough. For instance, focaccia contains much more yeast than pizza dough which yields a lighter, fluffier texture. Meanwhile, pizza dough contains less yeast, meaning it does not rise as much and more closely resembles leavened bread.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This easy focaccia recipe comes together with a secret ingredient, making it the fastest and simplest tomato focaccia you’ll ever make. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Dinner Rolls – Our secret weapon, dinner rolls eliminate the need to create, roll, or knead focaccia dough! We like Rhodes dinner rolls best, but any similar bread rolls will work.
- Cherry Tomatoes – We like to use cherry tomatoes because their small size makes them easy to slice and lends a sweeter flavor than other varieties.
- Oregano – A dash of oregano creates a pizza-like flavor you’ll love!
- Salt – Use as much or as little as you’d like to enhance the rest of the ingredients.
- Feta Cheese – The final ingredient in the easy focaccia recipe, feta cheese adds a salty, savory flavor and creamy texture that makes the dish out-of-this-world.
How to Make this Easy Focaccia Recipe with Tomatoes
This easy focaccia is our go-to recipe for dinner on the fly!
- Prepare the Rolls. Arrange the rolls in a large greased 13×18 sheet pan, leaving roughly ½ inch of empty space between each roll. Brush each roll lightly with olive oil or cooking spray. Cover the rolls with saran wrap, and let the rolls rise for 4-6 hours.
- Add the toppings. Create indentations in the dough with the tips of your fingers. Top the bread with the tomatoes, oregano, salt, and feta.
- Bake and Serve. Place the dish in the oven until the bread is golden brown, keeping a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Slice the tomato focaccia into pieces, serve warm, and enjoy!
Air Fryer Option
- Arrange. Add 8-12 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls to a parchment lined air fryer basket (depending on the size of the air fryer) you will want to leave at least 1 inch of space between each frozen dinner roll.
- Rest. Close the air fryer (do not turn on), and let the rolls rise for 3-4 hours or until they double in size.
- Coat. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Indent. Make indentations with fingers.
- Top. Add all the toppings.
- Cook. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
Serving Suggestions
Indulge in the deliciousness of this tomato focaccia all on its own—it’s that good! But if you’re in the mood to turn it into a meal, check out our favorite serving suggestions below:
- Use it as bread for a sandwich.
- Serve it alongside your favorite soup like Minestrone Soup or Roasted Tomato Soup.
- Pair it with your favorite pasta including Pasta Puttanesca and One Pot Pizza Pasta.
- Place it in a bread basket as an appetizer for meals like Baked Feta Salmon, Marry Me Chicken, and Shrimp Bake in Tomato Sauce!
How to Store
This easy focaccia recipe is best served right away while it’s still warm. However, in the unlikely chance that you have leftovers, they can be wrapped in plastic wrap or transferred to an airtight container. Kept at room temperature it will stay fresh for up to 2-3 days.
Or, for a longer-lasting option, slice your focaccia into individual squares, and flash-freeze them. Simply place the pieces on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer for up to 2 hours. Once the bread is hard and frozen, wrap the pieces in plastic wrap, and keep them frozen for up to 1 month.
More Focaccia and Bread Recipes
If you’re a fellow carb enthusiast, you won’t want to miss these recipes that celebrate the love of all things carbolicious!
- Slow Cooker Easy Focaccia Recipe
- No Knead Focaccia Bread Art
- No Knead Cheesy Focaccia Bread
- Cheesy Garlic Bread Recipe
- Olive Cheese Bread
Easy Focaccia Recipe with Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 36 Rhodes dinner rolls let rise according to package
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbles
Instructions
- In a large buttered 13×18 sheet pan, arrange the dinner rolls, leaving approximately ½ inch space between each roll. Brush each roll lightly with olive oil. or cooking spray. Cover the dish with saran wrap, and set the rolls aside for 4-6 hours (or according to the package instructions).36 Rhodes dinner rolls
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using fingertips, press indentations into the top of the dough.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes, oregano, salt, and feta cheese on top.1 cup cherry tomatoes, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, Salt to taste, 1 cup feta cheese crumbles
- Bake for 23-25 minutes or just until the bread is golden brown, keeping a close eye on it so as not to burn.
- Serve warm, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Add 8-12 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls in a parchment lined air fryer basket (depending on the size of the air fryer) you will want to leave at least 1 inch of space between each frozen dinner roll.
- Close the air fryer (do not turn on), and let the rolls rise for 2-3 hours or until they double in size.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Make indentations with fingers.
- Add all the toppings.
- Air fry at 400 degrees F for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I decided to try the air fryer option. 3.5 hours later and they have not doubled in size, much less raise at all. Recipe says 1-2 hours until double in size. But, when you bake in the oven, says to let them rise 4-6 hours. I think being in the Air Fryer, it keeps the atmosphere cool and they do not rise. We had dinner without the bread. I am going to take them out and set on the counter and see what happens. I guess I will figure out what to do with it later. Probably should update the air fryer instructions.
We’re sorry to hear this but appreciate the feedback, Windy. We will revisit the instructions and hope you’re able to make it work for you.
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
I would love to make this but need to cut recipe in half. What size dish would work.? Also, how about baking in cast iron?
Thanks
Hi! You can try an 8 inch square pan or an 11×7 pan. Cast iron should be fine. Just keep a close eye on the oven, and adjust the baking time as needed!
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
So easy and it made the whole house smell delicious!!
Right? Love the smell!