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Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia

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Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia - focaccia w/tomato & basil layered with hummus, lettuce, onions, Peppedews, tomato and feta cheese

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Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia ~ from Saving Room for Dessert (www.savingdessert.com)

We don’t eat out very often but when we do, we’re very picky.  One of my favorite places for a quick, fresh meal is Panera Bread.  Panera makes wonderful salads and soups, and of course, lots of lovely bread.   That’s where I got the inspiration for this Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia.  I’ve been trying to come up with a tomato sandwich bread but for some reason it doesn’t seem to click.  The whole wheat is fighting with the tomato and the savory aspects aren’t coming through.  After a couple of edible (but not blogable) loaves, I thought I’d try a focaccia round instead.  Bingo – the tomato and basil flavors are very happy now!

Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia ~ from Saving Room for Dessert (www.savingdessert.com)

Focaccia is a very simple yeast bread often made in 13×9″ pans and cut into squares.  I wanted to make a thicker round to use for sandwiches so these were baked in 8″ round cake pans.

Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia ~ from Saving Room for Dessert (www.savingdessert.com)

While experimenting with tomato bread recipes I tried canned tomatoes and fresh but found tomato paste yields the best results.

Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia ~ from Saving Room for Dessert (www.savingdessert.com)

Tomato paste is concentrated so the color and flavors are there without being watered down.  I loaded up on the fresh basil too – yum!

Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia ~ from Saving Room for Dessert (www.savingdessert.com)

This focaccia makes a wonderful sandwich too!  Layered with homemade spicy jalapeño cilantro hummus, tomatoes (you can never have too many tomatoes) cucumbers, sliced red onion, diced peppedews, lettuce and Feta cheese.   I believe this qualifies as a Meatless-Monday dinner!

Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia ~ from Saving Room for Dessert (www.savingdessert.com)

My husband and I both loved this sandwich.  We also loved the jalapeño cilantro hummus so that recipe will post later this week.  I hope you’ll come back and check it out.

Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia ~ from Saving Room for Dessert (www.savingdessert.com)

Mediterranean Sandwich on Tomato Basil Focaccia

Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 2 (8") rounds
Course: Bread, Sandwich
Author: Tricia
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A richly flavored focaccia with tomato and basil baked in 8" rounds for a thicker loaf. Layered with jalapeño cilantro hummus, lettuce, onions, Peppedews, tomato and feta cheese - this sandwich is unique and flavorful - in a good way!

Ingredients

For the focaccia:

  • 2 ¼ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast (1 (1/4 ounce) package)
  • 1 cup lukewarm water 95-100°
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 3 ½ to 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup diced fresh basil
  • ¼ cup tomato paste

For the sandwich:

  • lettuce
  • tomatoes, sliced
  • ½ cup Feta cheese
  • cucumbers, sliced
  • ¼ cup sliced red onion
  • â…” cup Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus
  • ½ cup diced Peppedews, a sweet and hot pepper found on olive bars in your local grocery store

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, honey and yeast. Stir gently to combine. Let the mixture rest until the yeast blooms and bubbles form on top, about 10 minutes. Add 3 cups of the flour, ¼ cup of olive oil, the chopped basil, tomato paste and kosher salt. Mix on low until the ingredients are combined.
  • Turn the mixer on medium and continue to blend until the dough is smooth, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Add another ½ cup of the flour and blend until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour if needed, ¼ cup at a time. The dough will be a little sticky but that's okay.
  • Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let the dough rest in a warm, draft-free location until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Remove the dough from the bowl and cut in half. Press the dough into two lightly oiled 8" cake pans. Using your fingers, poke holes in the dough then drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, one on each round.
  • Let the focaccia rest again until the dough becomes puffy, about 20 minutes.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until the loaves are lightly browned. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.
  • For the sandwiches, cut one loaf in half horizontally. Spread the hummus on both of the cut sides, then layer with the remaining sandwich ingredients.
  • Slice the loaf into forths and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 1375kcal | Carbohydrates: 200g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 2173mg | Potassium: 1066mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1198IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 285mg | Iron: 14mg

Another weekend has flown by!  I hope you’ll stop by later this week to check out our wonderful Jalapeño Cilantro Hummus.  It’s a winner and already a favorite in our house.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia

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41 Comments

  1. Veronica @ Big Blue House

    We don’t have Panera, so I’ve never had the pleasure of enjoying their tasty food… but who needs them when there’s a recipe like this! That focaccia looks so good that I’d have a hard time saving any for sandwiches. It would probably get eaten hot right from the oven!

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      That is the trust Veronica! Warm bread is a personal favorite of mine – too bad there are all those pesky carbs because I could eat it three meals a day! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      My husband is in Charleston today – I’ll tell him to give you a wave hello! Hope all is well – miss you and your WONDERFUL recipes! Hope you have a great weekend 🙂

      Reply

  6. John/Kitchen Riffs

    Love the idea of baking focaccia in rounds! Looks so pretty. Don’t you just love the texture of focaccia? So nice. And the flavors you’ve added to it are terrific! Really good stuff — thanks!

    Reply

  7. Wendy

    I am guessing that your previous versions of this recipe were pretty delicious too…just not what you were shooting for. 🙂 The color and flavors of your final “perfected” loaf look delicious, especially with the Mediterranean fillings on the sandwich! We eat hummus as lunch or as a nibble before dinner, almost daily. I am looking forward to trying both this bread AND your hummus. 🙂

    Reply

  8. Gerlinde

    Your focaccia looks fantastic, what a brilliant idea to add tomato paste. I’m going to pin it and hope to make it later. I can’t wait for the humus recipe.

    Reply

  9. Monique

    I cannot wait to try this!
    It’s gorgeous..we don’t have Panera bakeries.. but you got me interested;)

    I also Pinned something through you..the hot dog buns..would love to make minis for mini lobster rolls:)

    Reply

  12. Toni | BoulderLocavore

    Tricia this focaccia looks incredible! I love the color and the flavors sound great. The idea of making it in the cake pan and slicing it is genius! Since everything I make is gluten-free, and at altitude, the flat version can really be, well, flat. I want to try this!

    Reply

  14. cheri

    Hi Tricia, here in Arizona we have the Wildflower Bakery and Paradise Bakery which I think are really similar, I love, love their salads and sandwiches, this looks wonderful, can’t wait to see your hummus.

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Thanks so much Chris! I love baking but not for lots of people – I think I’ll stick with this crowd 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful trip – welcome back!

      Reply

  20. Monica

    This is just fantastic! That tomato focaccia looks amazing and such a delicious-looking sandwich! Love that you did all the experiments to get it just right – tomato paste makes perfect sense and I can see the depth of color and picture the intensity of flavor. It’s so nice to be inspired with something you enjoy out and then be able to make an even better version at home. We used to eat out all the time but it’s so different now. I think it’s a good thing. : ) Have a great week!

    Reply

  21. Cali @ Cali's Cuisine

    OMG – the Vegetarian Mediterranean Sandwich at Panera is MY FAVORITE. You have good taste! And your are ambitious…I also made the sandwich at home, but purchased a loaf of the tomato herb bread from Panera. You rock! I’m impressed that you have made your own bread!

    Reply

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