Focaccia with Tomatoes and Caramelized Onions
A tavola non si invecchia.
– Italian proverb.
(At the table one does not age.)
How can you not love focaccia? While the dough makeup is similar to that of pizza – flour, water, sugar, yeast, oil and salt – it’s the baking process that makes focaccia unique. The basic recipe is considered to have originated either with the Etruscans, or in Ancient Greece, and its name is derived from the Latin “panis focacius”, with panis meaning bread, and focus meaning hearth or fireplace. As focaccia was cooked in the ashes of the fire, you could read this as ‘bread baked on the floor of the oven.’
Tips
- Proof your yeast first.
- You want a wet dough with this one.
- Oil your surface instead of using flour when hand kneading.
- Pour a little olive oil in the base of your baking pan to help crisp up the bottom.
Reality Bakes
I was thrilled with the texture and taste of this focaccia. It had a beautiful, open crumb, and amazing flavor. Still, I’d rethink the toppings and either use more tomatoes and caramelized onions, scattering them willy-nilly, or use no toppings at all except for kosher salt and rosemary. Unlike a pizza, a really good focaccia is delicious on its own with just a sprinkling of some fresh herbs.
Focaccia with Tomatoes, Rosemary and Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
For the focaccia:
- 1 3/4 cups warm water (105°F-110°F), divided
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil, divided; plus extra for kneading, oiling the bowl, and drizzling
- 3/4 lbs Roma tomatoes, sliced into rounds
- Coarse or flaked sea salt, for topping
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 1/2 tsp dried
For the caramelized onions:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
Instructions
- Dissolve sugar in the warm water in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add yeast and stir, then let sit 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is foamy. If not foamy or bubbling, proof a new packet of yeast.
- Gradually add the flour, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix on low. Once combined, knead with the dough hook on medium-low speed for 5 to 6 minutes until dough is soft but sticky. If dough is too sticky to pull away from the sides of the bowl, sprinkle in a little more flour.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled surface. Knead by hand for another 2 to 3 minutes until the dough is elastic and can come together into a smooth ball.
- Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl, then flip it to coat both sides with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Gently punch down the dough. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
- While dough is resting, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet. Add the onions, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the brown sugar, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Set caramelized onions aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Set the oven rack in the middle position.
- Coat a 12" x 16" rimmed baking sheet with 1/4 cup olive oil. Tip the dough onto the baking sheet and begin pressing it out with your hands to fit the pan, pausing periodically for 3-minute stretches to let the glutens relax. Turn the dough over to coat both sides with oil. When dough has been stretched out to fit the baking sheet, let rest uncovered until puffed up, about 20 to 30 minutes. Just before baking, use your fingertips to deeply dent the dough all over, pressing all the way down.
- Cut the tomatoes into rounds and scatter on top with the caramelized onions. Sprinkle the top of the focaccia with the flaked sea salt, rosemary, and thyme and lightly drizzle olive oil on top. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let focaccia cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top before serving (optional).
Focaccia Playlist
This is the soundtrack for Big Night, which just happens to be one of my favorite movies with one of my favorite final scenes ever. And who can forget lines like “To eat good food is to be close to God” and “Sometimes the spaghetti likes to be alone.” So good.
