We were maxed out on sweets today, so I decided to make a batch of basic focaccia. I can't think of any yeast bread that I don't like, but focaccia is one I really love because it's different everywhere you go and it's fun to see how other people make it.
Very Basic Recipe With Bread Flour
The recipe is adapted from on I found years ago. It's about as basic as they come, but very good. It's chewy from the bread flour, but has a soft tight crumb and not too many extraneous things like cheese, onions, and sun-dried tomatoes. Those things are fine, but I like something a little lighter before a meal and this recipe hit the spot.
Caramelized Onion & Nut Focaccia
This is still one of my favorite Italian bread recipes. The latest twist was to jazz it up with a topping of caramelized onions and nuts. I used hazelnuts since they are less likely to burn.
Recipe
A Basic Focaccia
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water divided use
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 2 ¾ cups bread flour or 3 cups all-purpose -- any flour should equal 375 grams (375 grams)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the bowl and brushing
- 1 teaspoon salt 5 ml
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
- coarse sea salt to sprinkle
Instructions
- Combine water and the packet of yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and let sit until it becomes bubbly.
- Add half of the flour. the salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Stir with a heavy duty scraper or the paddle attachment to make a soft, sticky, dough. Add remaining flour gradually to make a more cohesive dough.
- Using the dough hook, knead for about 5 minutes. If the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, you can add more flour. If it is dry, add more water. Continue kneading until smooth and elastic. It should be a soft and only slightly sticky dough that clings to the hook.
- Place the dough in a large bowl that's been coated with extra olive oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 450 F. and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. If you have a stone, you can use that.
- Press the dough into a rectangle about 16 by 8 inches directly onto the parchment. Cover and allow it to rise for another 20-30 minutes. Dimple the dough with your fingers and brush with more oil. Sprinkle with the sea salt.
- Put the dish in the oven or slide parchment onto a preheated pizza stone and bake for 25 minutes or until nice and brown.
- Note: You can also make this with fast-rising yeast. If using fast-rising or "instant" yeast, put the yeast in the bowl with the flour, sugar and salt. Add half cup of water, oil and rosemary. Stir well, then add remaining ½ cup of water spoonfuls at a time until dough is proper consistency.
Caramelized Onion & Nut Version
- This is a new version we really like. The onions are cooked until soft and brown, then caramelize in the oven as they bake on top of the focaccia. You'll need plenty of oil to keep them from drying out in the oven.
- Reduce the oven to 425 for this version to help prevent the toppings from drying out.
- During the second rise, saute one half pound onion, thinly sliced, in 1 ½ tablespoons of extra olive oil. Start at medium then lower the heat until your onions are really soft and brown. This could take 10 minutes or slightly longer. Spread the onions over the focaccia dough before baking. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. If using pecans, sprinkle the pecans on at the end as they are more prone to burning.
Anna says
Thanks for the report, K! Glad you liked it.
K says
I made this on Saturday and used it as crust for a pizza. It turned out delicious although the baking time was a bit too much for my oven.
Adella says
Anna, do you set the oven on "convection bake" or straight "bake" for this? I have a new oven which I never know how to set when I'm baking. Thanks.
Laurel says
Rosemary focaccia is one of my most favorite foods!
Karen says
Hi Anna, it came out pretty good, not as squishy maybe as I would have liked, but it was very, very easy and went well with some homemade soup.
I just loosely followed this recipe:
http://mangiodasola.blogspot.com/2009/09/two-hour-focaccia-revisited.html
I cut it in half, used half bread flour and half all-purpose, eyeballed the olive oil. I just mixed it in the kitchenaid mixer and covered it and left it in the mixer bowl and went to a yoga class. Came back, turned it into a shallow pie plate and let it rise about 30 minutes before dimpling and baking. And I just used coarse salt on top, nothing else.
Katrina says
Yum! I'm not afraid of yeast! 😉 And I've made a lot of different breads, but I don't think I've ever made focaccia. Looks yummy! No onions for me, please!
LilSis says
Okay...I admit that I am afraid of yeast...but I love focaccia. BigSis is definitely the baker in the family, but ,maybe I'll get brave enough to try making this myself.
Anna says
Veggiegirl, have you tied the gluten free version? If you're interested, email me.
Karen, how funny! If it turns out, will you send me your recipe? I bought semolina today and almost made the "Macaroni Grill Copycat" recipe, but I decided to to with a different one instead.
Karen says
So bizarre. I have focaccia rising, I'm about to put it in the oven, haven't made it for years.
VeggieGirl says
Focaccia is definitely a delightful "yeast-containing" bread - I miss it!