Tomato Basil Bread
This easy Tomato Basil Bread is packed with tomato flavor. It’s a unique homeade bread that’s perfect for serving alongside soups, salads, pasta or your favorite Italian dishes.
This post may contain paid links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.
We love baking homemade bread in our house. Quite often, we turn to our go-to no-knead rustic bread, but sometimes it’s fun to experiment with different ingredients and different flavors. That’s where this Tomato Basil Bread comes in. Tomato…in bread!? Yup! And it’s quite tasty, too.
When it comes to homemade breads, I find it fascinating how just a handful of very basic ingredients can be transformed in a matter of hours into an amazing loaf of bread. When I first learned to bake bread, I would follow the recipes exactly. Down to the very last gram of flour. And while I’m still very careful with my measurements, I’ve been enjoying playing around with different add-ins lately.
My wife and I love eating fresh tomatoes straight out of the garden. We slice the ‘maters up and top ’em with fresh basil, a pinch of salt and some olive oil. We were doing this the other day, and that’s when I got the crazy idea to use these flavors in bread. Tomato Basil Bread. Just think how good that sounds! (I think Panera makes a version of this bread.)
Tomato Basil Bread
I hit the kitchen armed with my basic sandwich bread recipe. A bit of tomato paste and dried basil later, I was looking at this beautiful loaf of Tomato Basil Bread. It was almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour – the base of this bread is a classic sandwich bread. All-purpose flour is used to create a nice, soft loaf of bread.
- Granulated Sugar – a bit of sugar adds flavor, but more importantly provides food for the yeast.
- Active Dry Yeast – you need 1½ teaspoons of yeast for this recipe. That’s a little bit less than one packet of yeast.
- Salt – Salt adds flavor and keeps the bread tender.
- Dried Basil and Crushed Red Peppers – A bit of dried basil and a pinch of red pepper flakes bring a wonderful savory flavor to this bread.
- Unsalted Butter – softens the bread slightly and adds flavor.
- Milk – Using milk instead of water leads to a more tender loaf of bread.
- Tomato Paste – Instead of fresh tomatoes, tomato paste brings a wonderful deep tomato flavor without adding too much liquid.
- Parmesan Cheese – a bit of Parmesan cheese fits with the flavor profile here.
I know some of you might be afraid of using yeast. Don’t be. I prefer to think of yeast as my little helper in the kitchen. It seriously does most of the work for you. If you’ve made a quick bread recipe (like this Raspberry Crumble Bread) before, then you can make this loaf of Tomato Basil Bread. The only difference is that this dough hangs out in a warm place for a couple of hours before going into the oven. I often just turn my oven light on and then put the dough in the oven. This creates a nice, confined warm spot for the dough to rise. (Just don’t forget to take the dough out when it comes time to preheat the oven!)
How to Make Tomato Basil Bread
- Add all of the ingredients except for Parmesan cheese and fresh tomato to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix until a smooth dough forms (~5 minutes total).
- Transfer dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let dough rest in a warm spot for about 1 hour.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press it into a large rectangle and then fold it into thirds (like an envelope) and then place it seam-side down in a loaf pan.
- Let the dough rise again – this time in the loaf pan – for about 1 more hour.
- Add sliced tomatoes and Parmesan cheese on top. Bake for ~35 minutes, or until bread is golden bread. Let it cool on a wire rack before slicing.
This bread makes for a great side dish for soups, stews and chilis. It also makes amazing grilled cheese sandwiches! Because it includes fresh tomatoes on top, I recommend storing this bread in the refrigerator. It also freezes well – just store it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge. Toast it lightly before serving!
Did you bake this savory Tomato Basil Bread recipe at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Tomato Basil Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ Tbsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup milk
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 medium tomato
Instructions
- In the bowl of a countertop mixer, add the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, basil and crushed red pepper; stir until well combined.
- Add butter, milk and tomato paste; mix on low speed until blended.
- Increase speed to medium and mix for 3-4 minutes, or until dough is smooth.
- Place dough in a large bowl and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rest in a warm (85°F) location for 60 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
- Flip the dough onto a lightly oiled countertop and fold/press it into a 10″ log. Place the dough seam-side down into a greased 10″x5″x3″ bread pan.
- Spray top of dough with baking spray and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Place dough back in a warm location for 60 more minutes, or until dough has just begun to rise over the edge of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Slice the tomato thinly and pat slices dry with paper towels.
- Remove plastic wrap and brush top of loaf lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese on top of the loaf. Arrange tomato slices on top of dough and then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
- Bake at 375°F for 33-38 minutes, or until top is golden brown in color.
- Let bread cool for 20 minutes in the pan and then turn loaf out onto cooling rack until fully cooled. (Note: If you aren’t planning on eating the bread within a couple of days, wrap it tightly and freeze it instead. This bread freezes quite well!)
Notes
Looking for more bread recipes? Check out these other favorites:
David, hooray for fall, baking season and this savory bread! WOW!!! I love this! and love that sandwich you made!!!! looks freaking delicious!
This bread was indeed freaking delicious, Alice! We used about half of it for regular sandwiches, but then used the rest for some BLT’s…ummm, woah! 🙂
What a great way to use up all the tomatoes that are around at the moment.
I totally agree that it is the bread that makes the sandwich. The bread sound never be an after-thought, but the star of the sandwich.
I totally agree, Dannii! I know that homemade bread takes more time than just picking up a loaf at the store, but woah…the difference is huge! 🙂
Bread! My kriptonite and it’s homemade!! David you’re killing me!!! In a good way if that’s possible. 🙂 Never made homemade bread, but will in the immediate future…bread maker in route! Question. Can a recipe made by hand be changed for making in a bread machine? Thanks for sharing my friend!
I couldn’t agree more, Tonya! If there’s one thing I enjoy more than making bread is eating it…haha! So a recipe can definitely still be used in a bread machine, but I know some people still prefer to shape the bread by hand at the end just because bread machines always produce the same shape loaf. You’ll have to experiment a bit with it, but that’s the fun part!! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Thanks David!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Tomato Basil Bread before! Ever!!! And I worked in a bakery!
This loaf with crushed red pepper and tomato paste sounds wonderful, David! Dude – you need to open a bakery with breads and cakes! I might just trudge up to Upstate NYC if you did!
I always forget that you worked in a bakery, Shashi! Can I just say #jealous? I worked in a little bakery here for a couple of months, but it really was a sorry excuse for a bakery. I only learned how NOT to bake…haha! Wait…did you just say you’d trudge up and be my first customer? If I hang a sign saying “David’s Bakery–open for business” off my mailbox, does that count?? 🙂
Love this bread, David! Tomato, basil and Parmesan is a classic combo! Delicious – the sandwich you made using this bread looks incredible! 😀
Yeah, I agree, Jess! I love bruschetta because of the classic flavors…so that’s why I was like “hey, let’s make a bread with these same flavors in it!” And that bread made for some pretty epic sandwiches! 🙂
Wow. This looks amazing! What a beautiful recipe! So perfect for fall. And I hear ya! I worked in Upstate NY over the summer and by the end of August it already felt like fall was coming! Such a beautiful time of year up there!
Hey Cailee! Thank you so much! I couldn’t agree with you more about upstate NY in the Fall…it’s absolutely my favorite time of the year up here. Heck, Fall is my favorite time of the year anywhere, but upstate NY really does Fall right! 🙂 What part of upstate NY did you work in this summer?
I love it when baking season comes back 🙂 thanks for this great start to a brand new season in the kitchen I love savory breads like this one!
Thanks so much, Ala! Here’s a *virtual high-five* for the return of baking season! I hope you are doing well. 🙂
Hi David! You are a southern boy, so do you ever eat ‘mater sandwiches? Question – could I add some sun dried tomatoes?
Hey there, Dorothy! Ummm…of course I’ve eaten ‘mater sandwiches! Those were a staple when we would go visit my grandparents in South Carolina. 🙂 Oh, the good memories there! And I think you could absolutely add some sundried tomatoes to this bread. It’ll make it a little bit sweeter, but not in a bad way. Go for it!!
Mate! This looks absolutely delicious and when it comes to bread, I always take savory over sweet, even cinnamon raisin bread! My mum and I once devoured an entire loaf of cheese and onion bread and by both I mean 2 slices her, 12 me 😀 You really are the baking master- No following instructions for you!
Wait, savory over cinnamon raisin bread? Are you crazy, man? Cinnamon raisin bread deserves its own spot in the food pyramid! Haha! Laura and I totally could have downed this entire loaf…but we paced ourselves and turned it into legit sandwiches along the way. Thanks, mate!
Man those sandwiches look rad and that bread…you really knocked this out of the park!
#WolfpackMasterBaker
Thank you, my good man! I had a lot of fun making this bread…and even more fun eating it.
oh this is so pretty, yes almost too pretty to eat! looks amazing David!
The key word there is “almost”…because we totally downed this loaf! It made for some great sandwiches. Thanks, Manali! 🙂
I love baking bread too and have fun stuffing things (usually cheese!) in it. This tomato basil bread is a fantastic idea and those sandwiches are totally killer!
Cheese makes everything better, Rachelle! Now I want to go make some sort of bread stuffed with cheese. Maybe that can football food for this weekend? 🙂
WOW! That’s what came to my mind when I saw this recipe. I can only imagine how flavorful this bread is! I know it would definitely take any sandwich to the next level!
Like you, I am totally excited about this upcoming baking season!! I can’t wait to bake more cakes and hopefully one of your breads and or cinnamon roll recipes. Keep hope alive! 🙂
Hey, I have ultimate faith in your baking abilities, Tamara! I didn’t know what the heck I was doing when it came to baking when I first started…but it’s all about trial and error. I made some cookies last week that failed miserably. I was bummed…but that’s life when you bake new recipes, right? Just keep playing around and learning, and soon enough you’ll be eating homemade cinnamon rolls every morning! 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever tried my hand at making homemade bread, nor have I really had the desire until now – but this tomato basil loaf has made me see the error of my ways! It looks phenomenal! And that’s very true about a sandwich only being as good as the bread. I’m looking forward to trying this!
Yeah…homemade bread is an amazing thing! Sure, it takes time…but the investment is worth it. You start with some simple ingredients, and then you end up with an amazing loaf of bread when it’s all over. I actually find the bread-baking process relaxing. You’ll know what I mean when you pick up that big ball of dough and start shaping it into a loaf…it’s the best feeling ever! Ok, maybe I’ll just strange. Haha! 🙂
What a beautiful bread, David! Tomato and basil – perfect marriage. But if you had added some mozzarella, you would have had Caprese Bread:) I’ve never added tomatos in bread, and I feel I need to fix that, perhaps just with sundried tomatos. Well done!
Ah, I like the way you think, Ben…maybe I’ll add some mozz next time to create that Caprese Bread. Caprese salads are one of my favorites appetizers…they’re so simple yet so delicious. 🙂
Oh yum! I’m not even sure this bread would make it to a sandwich- I might just gobble it up plain!
Haha…I couldn’t agree more, Medha! It took all sorts of self control to save this bread for sandwiches!
That bread looks delicious David! Plus that sandwich, omg. I want it all!
Thank you so much, Shelby! This bread didn’t last too long around our house…haha! 🙂
Oh man, this looks amazing! Every time I eat at Panera I sub the bread for tomato basil and was just thinking of how I should try my hand at it- yum!
Yes! You should totally give tomato basil bread a shot…it’s really fun to make, Morgan! (Just don’t blame me if you eat the whole loaf before it makes it onto a sandwich…haha!)
Oh how delicious this looks, just pinned.
Thank you so much, Celeste! This bread is delicious…err, was delicious. I might have eaten it all. Oops! 🙂