Prosciutto Focaccia Sandwich

Homemade 2-3 day focaccia stacked with scrunched prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, seasoned tomatoes, arugula, and a balsamic finish.

Time: 2-3 days (sandwich: 10 min) | Yield: 2-3 sandwiches | Difficulty: Intermediate | Serves: 3 | Published: 2026-10-26

This is the sandwich that justifies making focaccia from scratch: olive-oil-crisped homemade bread, a quarter pound of prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, thick seasoned tomato, peppery arugula, and a balsamic glaze finish.

The bread is the whole project, and it lives on its own page too: the 2-3 Day Focaccia, a no-knead, wet-handed, cold-fermented pan bread. The full process is included below, start it 2-3 days before sandwich day.

The build has two rules. Prosciutto gets scrunched into soft folds, never laid flat, so it eats tender. And the salt and pepper go directly on the tomatoes, because seasoned tomato is what makes this taste like a proper Italian deli instead of a stack of nice ingredients.

Ingredients

2-3 Day Focaccia

• 400 g Bread Flour
• 315 g water
• 10 g salt
• 4 g sugar
• 12 g olive oil
• 1.2 g instant yeast

Prosciutto Sandwich

• Focaccia
• ¼ pound of prosciutto
• 3 - 4 slices fresh mozzarella
• 3 - 4 sliced tomatoes
• salt
• pepper
• 1 cup arugula
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs balsamic glaze

Directions

1. MAKING THE DOUGH
2. In a large bowl, add all of your dry ingredients and mix.
3. Next, add your water and oil and mix with a rubber spatula for 1 - 2 minutes. Pressing out any clumps.
4. Scrape down any flour on the sides of the bowl.
5. Cover and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, wet your hands and perform a series of stretch and folds. Pulling the corner from one side and folding to the opposite side. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat a total of four stretches.
   You'll know it's right: Wet hands are the whole trick, the dough releases from wet fingers instead of climbing them. Four pulls per set, one from each side.
7. Cover, rest for 30 minutes, repeat 2-3 more times.
8. After your final stretch and fold, put in the fridge for 2-3 days.
9. MAKING THE FOCACCIA
10. 5-6 hours before you want to make the bread, pull the dough out of the fridge.
11. Heavily oil a 10x14ish pan on the bottom and sides. Several tablespoons.
12. Dump the dough in the pan, coat the bottom, and flip the dough to the other side.
13. The dough is going to be stiff, but use your fingers to press out as much as possible. Again, it won't spread much but you are getting it started.
    You'll know it's right: Stiff and uncooperative out of the fridge is correct. Press what you can and let the hour rest do the spreading for you.
14. Cover and rest for an hour at room temperature.
15. After an hour, oil your hands and press the dough out to every edge. Use your fingers to firmly dimple and try to spread the dough out as even as possible.
    You'll know it's right: Oiled fingers, firm dimples, and chase the dough into the corners. Even thickness now is even bake later.
16. Cover and let rest for 3-4 hours.
17. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees for an hour.
18. When the dough has risen, drizzle another tablespoon or two of olive oil on top and start dimpling the dough. Pressing your fingers to about 3/4ths of the way to the pan.
    You'll know it's right: Dimple 3/4 of the way to the pan, deep enough to hold the oil pools, not so deep you punch through.
19. Sprinkle flakey sea salt.
20. Put in the oven and I tend to reduce the temperature to 450 degrees.
21. Bake until golden brown on top. Usually 12-15 minutes.
    You'll know it's right: Golden brown on top, usually 12-15 minutes. The top color is the doneness signal, the oiled pan handles the bottom.
22. Prosciutto Sandwich
23. Slice your focaccia into desired size. (Mine around about 5x7 inches). Then slice in half.
24. Lay down your prosciutto first by somewhat scrunching them (not too hard) rather than lay completely flat.
    You'll know it's right: Scrunched, not flat. The soft folds give the prosciutto height and make every bite tender instead of leathery.
25. Lay down an even layer of mozzarella.
26. Next is a layer of tomato. I like mine about 1/4 inch thick, but it's up to you!
    You'll know it's right: About 1/4 inch on the tomato. Thick enough to taste, thin enough that the sandwich still closes.
27. Salt and pepper your tomatoes.
    You'll know it's right: Salt and pepper go ON the tomatoes, not the bread. Seasoned tomatoes are the difference between a deli sandwich and a great one.
28. Next add the arugula, then olive oil drizzle.
29. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and optional Parmigiano Reggiano.
    You'll know it's right: Thin threads of balsamic glaze at the very end. It should accent the bite, not soak the bread.
30. Enjoy!

Troubleshooting

Sandwich was dry

Skipped the olive oil drizzle, or the tomatoes were underripe. The oil drizzle over the arugula is a dressing, not a garnish. And this sandwich lives and dies on tomato quality.

Prosciutto ate tough and chewy

Laid flat and pressed down. Scrunch it into loose folds as it goes down. Air in the folds keeps it delicate.

Everything slid out the sides

Overfilled, or focaccia sliced too thick. Slice the focaccia through its middle into a true top and bottom, and keep the stack to the listed amounts. This is a sandwich, not a dare.

Bland middle bites

Seasoned the bread instead of the tomatoes. Salt and pepper go on the tomato layer where the moisture carries them through the whole sandwich.

Balsamic soaked the bread soggy

Heavy pour, built ahead of time. Thin drizzle at the end, and build these right before eating. Focaccia sandwiches do not sit well.

Nutrition (1 sandwich (1/3 of the batch)): 560 calories, 26g protein, 58g carbs, 25g fat.