When we say we have a hankering for tomato pie, you need to know that we’re talking about Philly tomato pie, not Southern tomato pie. What’s the difference? A Southern tomato pie is made in a round pan with a regular pie crust and tomatoes inside. Philly tomato pie isn’t really a pie; it’s more like a pizza without cheese. It has a delicious thick and chewy foccacia-like crust topped with a savory tomato sauce-like topping. And for tomato lovers, it’s completely irresistible.
Homemade Philly tomato pie.
To figure out how to make our own tomato pie, we have been spending a lot of time researching and taste-testing Philly tomato pies. We had some delicious adventures, and we’re happy to say we learned from the best. Shout-out to Corropolese Bakery, Carlino’s Market, and Sarcone’s, some of the most famous homes of the tomato pie, as well as our hometown favorite Passariello’s.
What Is a Philly Tomato Pie?
What are the characteristics that make a great tomato pie? First, a thick and chewy crust that’s crispy on the outside. Second, the perfect tangy tomato topping that’s just the faintest bit sweet. And last, maybe just a dusting of sea salt (if you’re keeping it vegan) or Parmesan cheese, and sometimes a sprinkling of fresh basil for color.
Corropolese’s tomato pie
Some people describe the crust as more like a bread, baked flat on a rectangular pan. In that sense, it really is like a foccacia. (In fact, the tomato pie at Passariello’s is listed as “Foccacia alla Passariello” on their menu.)
A slice of Passariello’s tomato pie on a plate.
As for the tomato topping, there’s a lot of variation. Some versions use a traditional marinara sauce on top; others use a thicker tomato base; some use just crushed and seasoned San Marzano tomatoes.
And after that – who knows? We love tomato pie in its purest form, with just the tomatoes on top. But if you go to a place like Corropolese’s, you can choose from among 11 different toppings, ranging from spinach to sweet pepper to eggplant.
What Do You Need to Make Philly Tomato Pie?
To make your Philly tomato pie, you should have a large bowl that is capable of holding a dough that is going to double in bulk. Preferably your bowl should be a 4- to 6-quart size.
You will also need a large, sturdy baking pan (with sides), preferably 12″x18″.
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Ingredient-wise, you need flour, yeast, honey, olive oil, and salt. For the olive oil, you should use the most flavorful olive oil you can find. (For us that’s Olio Piro, our favorite artisan brand from Tuscany.)
Philly Tomato Pie Recipe
Philly Tomato Pie
An adapted version of the famous Philly tomato pie, with a focaccia base adapted from Samin Nosrat and a tangy tomato topping.
CourseAppetizer/Main Course
CuisineAmerican
Keywordfoccacia, pizza, tomatoes
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Fermenting Time 13 hours
Total Time 14 hours 5 minutes
Servings 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 1/2cupslukewarm water
- 1/2tspactive dry yeast
- 2 1/2 tsphoney
- 5 1/4cupsflour
- 2tbsp kosher salt
- 1/4cupextra virgin olive oil (plus extra for greasing the pan and topping the foccacia)
For the brine
- 1/3cuplukewarm water
- 1 1/2 tspkosher salt
For the tomato topping
- 1tbspextra virgin olive oil
- 2clovesgarlic, minced
- 128-ounce canwhole Italian tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
- 3tbsptomato paste
- 1/2tspsalt
- 1tspsugar
- 1/2tsporegano
- 1/2 tspbasil
- sea salt for topping
- finely chopped basil leaves
Instructions
For the dough
In a medium bowl, stir together the lukewarm water, yeast, and honey. In a separate larger bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture as well as the 1/4 cup olive oil to the flour; stir just to combine.
Cover the dough and set it aside to rise and ferment for 12-14 hours.
After the dough has risen, prepare a large (12"x18" baking pan) by greasing it with olive oil. Scrape the dough gently away from the sides of the bowl and gently spread it out into a rectangle shape to fill the pan. (You may need to stretch it gently to fit the corners.) Poke finger-shaped indentations across the batter. Pour two tablespoons additional olive oil over the dough.
Adding the brine
Stir the lukewarm water and the salt until the salt dissolves. (This creates a saltwater brine.) Pour the brine over the foccacia. Let the foccacia rise again for another 45 minutes.
Bake the foccacia at 450 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown.
For the topping
While the foccacia is baking, heat a medium pan and add olive oil. Saute the garlic over medium heat for just a minute or two. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, sugar, basil, and thyme. Cook until bubbly. Remove from heat and spread over just-cooked foccacia. Bake foccacia for an additional 2-3 minutes, just until tomatoes are warm. Remove from oven, top with fresh basil and sea salt, as well as grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Cut into rectangles and serve.
Notes About Tomato Pie
Here are a few things you might want to know about this pie: First, the crust is adapted from Samin Nosrat’s (Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat) famous Ligurian foccacia because it’s light and airy and has a nice salty crunch.
Second, we had a hard time deciding whether we liked a more traditional, crushed-tomatoes-only topping, or more of a thicker sauce. We finally settled on the thicker sauce. Plus – to match so many of the tomato pies we tasted – the tomato topping is a little on the sweet side.
And last, we saw quite a few tomato pies with grated Parmesan cheese on top. We decided to forego the cheese and stick with a light sprinkling of sea salt.
Also, we love it fresh out of the oven, but we’ll admit to having it at room temperature for snack, and … okay, to be honest, breakfast as well.
Thanks for coming along on this tomato pie adventure with us!
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