This recipe post (though it's a stretch to call it a recipe) was inspired by Chef Jeremy Fox and his tomato water focaccia. Adding tomato water to bread is one of those ideas hiding in plain sight and I was jazzed to try it. Thankfully, the summer shoulder season means peppers and tomatoes are still available so I picked up a bag of Early Girls and Romas and hustled home to make some water. I would have been willing to go all in with a project but harvesting the pumpkin-hued liquid from my fruit turned out to be a quick task.
It was surprising to my bread-obsessed brain how few recipes involve adding tomato water to any kind of dough. There were even fewer recipes for making tomato water, most calling for puréeing and straining fresh tomatoes then discarding the pulp. I'm imperfect when it comes to minimizing waste but didn't love the idea of mashing up beautiful fruit just for its juice.
The solution came about almost by accident when I was making Gjelina's Pomodoro Sauce. That process involves simmering the sauce to evaporate excess liquid and thicken the texture. Rather than cooking for an extended time, I just drained a bit of the tomato water from the pomodoro tomatoes to use for bread. Making tomato water ended up being a 5-minute task that ultimately built an efficiency into my sauce prep.
My liquid treasure made its first appearance in a successful batch of Tomato Water Sourdough Pita. The whole grains, sourdough starter, and hint of summertime are so satisfying. The tomato water tastes fantastic on its own and there are a number of uses for it including vinaigrette, cocktails, and stock. At the moment however, I'm focused on bread. The next move is to add tomato water to Sourdough Sicilian Pizza and then follow that up with rosemary bread.
The Pomodoro Sauce circle of no waste is now (unintentionally) complete. The skins are living a second life in Tomato Salt, the water made its way into pita, and the rest is carrying on in sauce so good the smell makes your jaw tingle. If you aren't sure what to use tomato water for, freeze it in 1/4 to 1/2 cup portions for a later date.
Go forth and seek out all the tomatoes before winter comes.
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