Tomatoes

The water problem

Tomatoes are mostly water, and that water is the enemy of a crisp, well-browned focaccia. Piled on raw, juicy tomatoes weep into the crumb, leaving a soggy, pale, under-set surface. Managing that moisture is the whole game with tomato focaccia.

Everything below is about removing water before it reaches the dough, or choosing forms of tomato that hold onto it.

Best tomatoes and how to prep them

Small, dense tomatoes work best: cherry, datterini, and grape tomatoes have a high flesh-to-juice ratio and sweeten as they roast in the oiled dimples. Halve them and set them cut-side up so juice evaporates rather than pooling into the bread.

For sliced larger tomatoes, salt the slices and let them drain on paper towel for 15–30 minutes, then pat dry before topping. Roasting or slow-cooking tomatoes first concentrates their flavor and drives off water — a great move for a deeply savory focaccia.

Topping tomatoes versus pizza sauce

There are two different uses. Whole or halved tomatoes pressed into the dimples give jammy bursts on a focaccia. A focaccia pizza instead wants a thin layer of crushed or passata-style tomato — and the classic move is to spread it raw and thin so it cooks in the bake and stays bright, rather than a thick cooked sauce that steams the base soggy.

Good canned tomatoes (San Marzano-style whole peeled, crushed by hand) make excellent sauce out of season and are often better than pale winter fresh tomatoes.

Buying and storing

In season, ripe, fragrant local tomatoes are unbeatable and worth building a focaccia around. Out of season, good cherry tomatoes or quality canned tomatoes beat watery, mealy fresh ones. Store fresh tomatoes at room temperature, not the fridge, which dulls flavor and turns the texture mealy.