Caramelized Onion Focaccia Recipe

Return to HomepageDon't Miss: Walmart Deals eventCollege WAG culture gets a glow-upWhy big dogs age faster than small dogsOur danger obsession2-in-1 trip ideasThe new 'mommy's little helper'Life after Ice Bucket ChallengeWidow road tripThe giant diamond dilemmaA guide for raising boys to be resilient menKatie Rosenhouse/Tasting TableFocaccia is a beloved Italian flatbread that, unlike many types of bread that involve hefty rounds of kneading and shaping, is a relatively easy one to whip up and enjoy. The beauty of focaccia is that it's sort of a blank slate to be extrapolated upon, offering up an airy, chewy base that pairs incredibly well with all sorts of flavor profiles. Plain focaccia is delicious enough on its own, but once you start adding savory inclusions to the mix, the real fun begins.

In this caramelized onion focaccia recipe, I max out the bread's savory potential by way of rich, buttery, golden brown sauteed onions. It's such a simple upgrade, but it really takes the humble bread to new heights, and unlike other recipes that might involve a tedious process of folding the onions into the dough, this one keeps things simple by piling those onions right on top before baking. The caramelized onions and fresh thyme go a long way in establishing the sweet-savory, slightly herbal flavor in the bread, and the optional Gruyère adds just the right amount of cheesy, nutty depth. Naturally, this focaccia pairs perfectly with other Italian foods, like pasta, minestrone, or antipasto, but it works just as well with a simple side of olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dunking.

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For the focaccia dough itself, start with a packet of active dry yeast, granulated sugar, bread flour, kosher salt, and olive oil. Then, for the caramelized onions, you'll need a yellow onion, unsalted butter, more olive oil, salt, Worcestershire sauce (if you want this to be vegetarian, look for a vegan version of Worcestershire sauce), and black pepper. A little more olive oil helps grease the baking dish and serves as a final topping for the dough, along with fresh thyme and, optionally, some grated Gruyère cheese.

In a large bowl, stir to combine 2 cups warm water, with the yeast and sugar. Cover and set aside for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

Add the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Stir until the dough is combined but shaggy, then cover and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.

Stretch and fold the dough in the bowl 8-10 times using gloved or wet hands. Repeat the rising and folding process two additional times, waiting half an hour between folds, and folding 8-10 times each time.

In the meantime, use a mandoline or sharp knife to thinly slice the onion.

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook for an additional minute. Set aside.

Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Gently pour the risen dough into the pan, avoiding pressing or kneading. Stretch gently to cover the base of the pan. Cover and set aside.

Drizzle the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and dimple firmly with your fingertips.

Top with grated cheese if using, and thyme.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and baked through.

Garnish with additional thyme and serve warm.

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1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus additional for garnishing

In a large bowl, stir to combine 2 cups warm water, with the yeast and sugar. Cover and set aside for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

Add the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Stir until the dough is combined but shaggy, then cover and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.

Stretch and fold the dough in the bowl 8-10 times using gloved or wet hands. Repeat the rising and folding process two additional times, waiting half an hour between folds, and folding 8-10 times each time.

In the meantime, use a mandoline or sharp knife to thinly slice the onion.

Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook for an additional minute. Set aside.

Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Gently pour the risen dough into the pan, avoiding pressing or kneading. Stretch gently to cover the base of the pan. Cover and set aside.

Drizzle the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and dimple firmly with your fingertips.

Top with grated cheese if using, and thyme.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and baked through.

Garnish with additional thyme and serve warm.

If you're new to bread making or you're making focaccia for the first time, you'll be pleased to hear that it's one of the simplest and most straightforward breads you could possibly make. That said, even though novice bakers can and should start with focaccia, there are some best practices and tips to keep in mind to ensure your flatbread turns out as pillowy and airy as possible.

Start with the yeast: Instant is the most foolproof. Feel free to swap in an equal amount for the active dry yeast. It won't need to be activated before using, eliminating any questions about whether it's going to work or not in your recipe. Next, once you delve more into the dry ingredients — particularly the flour — make sure you're as accurate as possible with the measurements. A heavy-handed pour of flour will result in an overly dry or dense focaccia, which is the opposite of the ideal texture we're going for. Weighing dry ingredients is always a good idea with baking, but otherwise, even spooning out your flour into a measuring cup will yield much more accurate results. Once you're accustomed to working with high-moisture, no-knead recipes, you'll come to recognize exactly the texture that you're looking for.

Next, although the stretching and folding steps may seem a bit tedious, they're crucial to establishing that tender final texture, so take your time with it, as it's the resting and folding that develop the gluten and take the place of extended kneading. During the periods where you set the dough aside to rest, keep in mind that cooler temperatures will result in a slower rise (so you may need to give the dough extra time in this case), while warm or even hot temperatures will speed the process up.

Bread making and kneading are two activities that basically go hand-in-hand, but the reality is that a lengthy period of kneading early in the bread-baking process can be replaced by a method that relies on resting and stretching the dough. Though the method is called "no knead," in reality, it's more a question of spreading that work over a longer period, and letting time itself take on some of the heavy lifting. No-knead bread recipes are also extremely useful for those who don't have a stand mixer or don't have the patience to knead the bread by hand.

Focaccia is a great example of a no-knead bread, though you'll notice that the dough does still require some handling before baking. The stretching and folding process takes the place of kneading in this recipe, along with plenty of time in between stretches for the dough to rest and rise. It's also important to note that focaccia — along with nearly any type of no-knead dough – is a very supple dough, or a high-hydration one. Since the dough has so much moisture in it, it tends to be stickier to work with, which is all the more reason not to knead it. The stretching process of a hydrated dough works in a similar way to kneading, helping to work the gluten that traps air and builds structure in the dough, but with much less elbow grease involved.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.