I never get sick of sandwiches. I could eat them every day, and I basically did when I lived in Italy. This week I was craving something fresh and summery yet nostalgic, thinking of my time in Florence. So, I created a homemade basil focaccia recipe that is packed with fresh summer basil. When it was done, I threw it all together into a “green caprese” with basil pesto, mozzarella, and green tomatoes from the farmers market. This caprese sandwich recipe is delicious, simple, and full of basil flavor.

Farm Tomatoes + Fresh Basil

I started the week by driving to a farm stand on a sunny morning. I had my sights set on fresh basil, one of the most exciting ingredients of summer for me. A few years ago I got an aerogarden, which allows you to grow fresh herbs on your kitchen counter. It required regular watering and feeds of plant food. Which didn’t work well with my ADHD. And the basil would grow so quickly that I would make basil recipes every other day. Bruschetta, basil curry, basil ice cream. Not complaining, but I have the opposite of a green thumb and the excess basil started to wilt and brown. The machine gurgled and groaned, and I decided to retire it. 

So, I’ve been missing the convenience of fresh basil at my fingertips whenever I want it. Luckily, my local farm stand sells generous bags of freshly-picked basil. I picked up two bags with some loose change in my basil-colored wallet and headed home. I brainstormed for a few days what I wanted to make. Basil gelato? Basil pasta? I had a great pesto gnocchi in Pisa that I considered recreating. But I wanted to pack this recipe with basil, and make something unique. So I settled on basil focaccia. Always in the mood for fresh bread. 

Green Basil Focaccia

And if you’re not familiar with making focaccia, it’s probably the easiest bread to make. Throw together flour, yeast, a little salt and sugar, water, and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix for a minute or two until a shaggy dough forms in your bowl and then cover it. Let it rise for a bit. Move it into a greased baking dish and let it rise again. The fun part comes when it’s ready to bake. You can top it with herbs, cheeses, tomatoes, pretty much anything. You dimple the focaccia with your fingertips, like sinking into a bucket of squishy slime as a kid. Then, you bake it. 

My goal was to make a super basil-y recipe this week to celebrate what’s left of summer. So, I started my basil focaccia dough by blending a thick handful of basil with water. I strained out the basil puree, leaving a clear green basil liquid to use in place of plain water in my focaccia dough. Then, with the remaining basil discard, I blended it again with vegetable oil, once again straining through a fine-mesh strainer. I didn’t have cheesecloth so I used a coffee filter. Basil oil. Packed with basil flavor. After throwing a green dough together, perfumed with basil, I wanted for it to rise and made pesto with the remaining basil discard. With lemon, walnuts, salt, olive oil, garlic, basil. I drizzled the risen dough with my basil oil and dimpled it with my fingers. 

Italian Panini Inspiration

Off it went to bake and the house immediately started to fill with the aroma of fresh basil and baking bread. It was heavenly. At that point I began to grow pretty hungry. My mind wandered back to my culinary adventures in Tuscany. We tried many panini in Florence, including delicious varieties at Pino’s sandwiches. We sampled a couple duds that crumbled into pigeon food. Then, we found our holy grail – I’ Girone De’ Ghiotti. It’s a small shop with a staircase on a side street in Florence. Ironically, it was the first street I visited on my first night, and I foolishly opted for a decent southern Italian restaurant next door. 

I’ Girone De’ Ghiotti usually has a line out the door, and the small space is packed with tourists and locals. Their yellow sign glows like a beacon after dark. They have a large menu outside for you to scan while you wait. Over 20 options with some seasonal specials. One of the sandwiches has “rigatino”, a cured streaky Italian bacon, that I read as rigatoni until my last day (each time shocked that they would put pasta on a panini). When you wait to enter, the line moves quickly. Then you’re standing next to a long counter watching people slice salami, toast long slabs of schiacciata in a countertop oven, and artfully spreading artichoke purees and drizzling olive oils on bread halves. 

Baking My Green Focaccia

My favorite sandwich is the #17 Beatrice, which has artichoke puree, cheese, olive oil, sliced roasted zucchini and eggplant, and artichokes. The bread is crusty and warm. Scented with olive oil and a touch of salt. It somehow retains its fluffiness on the inside and literally drips with flavor. When they call your number you place your small ticket in a fishbowl and claw 3-4 sandwiches for your group, all half-wrapped in butcher paper. Spotted with oil stains. You sit upstairs after traversing a tiny winding staircase with plenty of napkins and crumbs all over the floor from previous patrons. It adds to the charm. Another one of our favorites is a simple sandwich with sliced tomato and mozzarella. A Caprese sandwich with spicy oil. 

When the basil focaccia finally finished baking, I took it out of the oven and marveled at the golden brown crust with craters of dark green. Sparkling sea salt. Bubbling basil oil. I let it rest and wrestled it out of my pan, which I didn’t grease enough. I was dreaming of an Italian caprese sandwich, now nearly at my fingertips. So, I rummaged in the fridge for fresh mozzarella, which I use for homemade pizza each week. And I picked up green tomatoes at the farmers market. Green zebras. They have charming green and yellow striped skin, like a neon green zebra. They are sweet and a little sour, which made for a perfect caprese sandwich. An all-green caprese sandwich, with green tomatoes, basil bread, mozzarella, and basil. The summer sandwich special at my own imaginary Italian sandwich shop. 

Green Caprese Sandwich

I eagerly sliced my basil focaccia into squares and then again in half down the middle to make sandwiches. I heated up a pan with a little olive oil (a local variety infused with Italian herbs) and assembled my panini. Basil focaccia. Basil pesto. I left off the green zebra tomato slices until the end. Fresh mozzarella discs. Another slather of pesto. Then, the other sandwich half. I placed my panini in my warm pan for a few minutes, melting the cheese and pesto together. Crisping the focaccia. Then I placed both halves on my cutting board, removing the lid again and placing on my chilled, sliced tomatoes. The temperature of the tomatoes is meant to both counteract the hot richness of the bread and cheese but also to maintain the freshness and flavor of the uncooked tomatoes. 

My green caprese sandwich was packed with flavor, crunch, and freshness. A touch of sea salt freckled the bread, just like the one I love in Tuscany. Of course, there’s a big difference between schiacciata and focaccia. But because I used a slightly larger baking pan than I needed, it helped keep my basil focaccia more flat and crisp. The warmth of the bread and melted cheese against the fresh tomato was heavenly. I managed to take a few photos before devouring it for lunch. Then, I booked plane tickets to Portugal, which is a story for another day. I hope to visit Florence again soon when I’m in Europe and taste that prodigal panini I think about all the time. I could eat it every day. 

No-Waste, All Flavor

I’m super happy with how this came out. This caprese sandwich recipe is an ode to basil, the color green, and fresh summer flavors. It’s an ode to Italy and the simplicity and deliciousness of sandwiches made with the seriousness of a chef. The combination of fatty cheese and salty pesto. Acidic tomatoes and warm, oily bread. And the recipe uses every last piece of basil. No waste. I would highly recommend making it, or at least trying homemade focaccia sometime. Especially if you have good heat and humidity right now for a good bread rise. There’s no kneading required, and it’ll make you question why you buy bread every week. 

If you enjoy my recipes and paintings, be sure to check out my Etsy for 100+ recipe cards and art prints. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Thanks for reading as always! 

Print Pin

Green Basil Focaccia Caprese Sandwich

An all green Italian panini made with homemade basil focaccia, pesto, and green tomatoes

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Caprese, Caprese sandwich, focaccia, Panini

Prep Time 4 hours hours

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 3 cups tipo 00 flour
• 1 2/3 cups basil juice 3 cups basil + 2 cups water, blended
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup basil oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup parmesan
• 1/3 cup toasted walnuts
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3-4 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup fresh green tomatoes

Instructions

• In a large blender, blend basil leaves and water. Strain through a fine mesh sieve with a cheese cloth or coffee filter. Reserve basil discard for pesto.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, basil juice, sugar, yeast, olive oil, and salt. Mix with a chopstick or fork until combined.
• Cover bowl with a damp towel and leave in a warm place to proof for 2 hours.
• In the meantime, combine 1 cup of basil and 1 cup vegetable oil the same blender. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer to make basil oil. Reserve basil scraps for pesto.
• Coat a large baking dish or cast iron skillet with butter and a drizzle of olive oil to grease.
• In your blender, add all basil discard, parmesan, nuts, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Blend until combined.
• Once dough has proofed, transfer to your greased pan.
• Proof in a warm place for another 1.5 hours until bubbly.
• Once the dough is doubled in size, preheat oven to 425°F.
• Drizzle the focaccia dough with your basil oil and dimple the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle on a couple teaspoons of sea salt and any leftover fresh basil.
• Cook focaccia for 25 – 40 minutes, uncovered, until golden brown and crispy. The dough should spring back when touched and be medium gold-brown with green spots.
• Cool and remove from pan. Slice into sandwich halves and slather with pesto. Top each slice with mozzarella and grill in a hot pan for 1-2 minutes, covered, until cheese is melted.
• Remove from heat and add sliced green tomatoes. Top with your other focaccia half.