Onion Focaccia
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs. active dry yeast
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- 1 1⁄2 cups warm water (105° to 115°F)
- 1⁄2 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing
- 1 1⁄2 tsp. table salt
- 4 to 4 1⁄4 cups bread flour, plus moreas needed
- 1⁄2 cup chopped yellow onion
- Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of the sugar over 1/2 cup of the water and stir to dissolve. Let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 10 minutes.Add the remaining 1 cup water and the remaining sugar, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the table salt and 1 cup of the flour. Beat on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the flour, reduce the speed to medium-low and beat for 2 minutes. Stir in the onion.
Switch to the dough hook. On low speed, beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft, shaggy dough forms that starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Knead on low speed, adding flour 1 Tbs. at a time if the dough sticks, until moist, soft and slightly sticky, about 6 minutes. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
Line a heavy rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and brush the paper lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough out onto the prepared sheet. With oiled fingers, press and flatten the dough into an oval 1 inch thick. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. It will be at least 2 inches thick.
With your fingertips, make deep indentations 1 inch apart all over the surface of the dough, almost to the bottom of the pan. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Place a baking stone on the bottom rack of an oven and preheat to 425°F.
Sprinkle the bread lightly with coarse salt. Place the pan on the stone and bake until the bread is lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Check the bottom and, if the bread is pale, bake for a few minutes more. Slide the bread onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into squares or wedges. Makes 1 large oval focaccia.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Bread, by Beth Hensperger (Simon & Schuster, 2002).
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Rated 5 out of
5
by
nastysuprise from
This was magical!
I made huge mistakes on this recipe, added 2 Tbs of yeast, 4 1/2 cups of flour which I practically added all at once and yet this turned out amazing! The dough even had dry clumps of hard flour but it still did magical things on it's own and looked so professional and was totally tender and delicious. It makes a huge loaf (a good thing). I used rosemary and oregano and Parmagiano-Reggiano for topping. Lightly toasted bread is delicious BTW! Problem now is: should I make it with the mistakes next time? Or correct them.
Date published: 2016-01-24
Rated 5 out of
5
by
DebHab from
Easy, Delicious Upgrade for Dinner
I have been making this focaccia bread for more than 4 years. It is easy, tastes great. If and that's a big if, there are leftovers it makes a great sandwich bread the next day. I'm making this for a chili supper at church next week. It's simple to add other ingrediants, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, ou name it. Yum-o.
Date published: 2015-01-26