This recipe for caprese bread is a rustic loaf topped with melted mozzarella cheese, ripe tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze. The perfect summer side dish!

Caprese bread is a great way to enjoy ripe summer tomatoes. In my home, we love all things tomato. A couple of our other favorite tomato dishes are cherry tomato salad and spaghetti stuffed tomatoes.

A split loaf of caprese bread on a sheet pan topped with fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced red tomatoes, thinly sliced basil and balsamic glaze.

I love all things with the flavors of caprese salad, especially in the summer time. This caprese bread may be my very favorite of all! How can you go wrong with toasted bread, plenty of mozzarella cheese, ripe tomatoes and basil? Add a little balsamic glaze and salt and pepper and you’ve got caprese perfection.

Bread cut into squares topped with melted mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, basil and balsamic glaze.

How Do You Make Caprese Bread?

This recipe starts with a loaf of bread. Any rustic style bread will do! The bread is sliced in half lengthwise, then brushed with olive oil and rubbed with garlic. A generous amount of sliced fresh mozzarella cheese is layered over the top, then the bread is broiled to melty perfection. While cheesy bread is good on its own, it’s even better with a topping of tomatoes and basil! I use the ripest tomatoes I can find here. I drizzle the tomatoes with balsamic glaze, then add a generous amount of sliced basil, coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

A loaf of bread cut in half, topped with melted mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, chopped basil and balsamic glaze.

You can find balsamic glaze near the rest of the types of vinegar at your local grocery store. Balsamic glaze is a reduced version of balsamic vinegar, and it’s thick and mellow flavored, no harsh vinegar taste here! If you can’t find balsamic glaze, you can make your own by cooking balsamic vinegar until it’s reduced by half and syrupy.

We all loved this caprese bread – the classic combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil just can’t be beat. It’s super easy to make and is a summery twist on the old standard garlic bread. We’ll definitely be eating this all summer long. The next time you see some nice tomatoes at the market, pick them up and make this caprese garlic bread – you’ll be glad you did!

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4.75 from 4 votes

Caprese Bread

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AuthorSara Welch

This recipe for caprese bread is a rustic loaf layered with fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze.

Time

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Serves slices

Ingredients

▢ 1 16 ounce loaf of bread (focaccia, pane rustico, pugliese, any rustic bread)
▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 garlic clove cut in half
▢ 10 ounces fresh mozzarella thinly sliced
▢ 4-6 ripe tomatoes sliced
▢ 1/3 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
▢ 3 tablespoons balsamic glaze
▢ coarse salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the broiler. Split the loaf of bread lengthwise.
Brush each half of the bread with the olive oil.
Rub the cut side of the garlic all over each half of the bread.
Cover the surface of each half of the bread with the mozzarella. Place the bread on a sheet pan.
Broil for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn't burn!
Remove from the oven. Place the sliced tomatoes on top of the mozzarella layer.
Sprinkle the basil, salt and pepper on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle the balsamic glaze over the top of the bread and serve immediately.