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Rosemary-Onion Focaccia

Source of Recipe

From "Chowderland" by Brooke Dojny


Recipe Introduction

"Baking these focaccia in cake pans makes for an evenly shaped loaf, and the heat of the pan turns the sides of the bread crusty and golden. As a shortcut, you can buy pizza dough and add the onion and rosemary topping. Serve the flatbread in wedges with any chowder."

List of Ingredients

Dough:
â—¦ 1 cup warm water (105° to 115° F)
â—¦ 1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
â—¦ 1 teaspoon sugar
â—¦ ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus about 1 teaspoon additional salt for sprinkling
â—¦ 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional tablespoons as needed

Finishing and Topping:
â—¦ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ ½ medium yellow onion, very thinly sliced (about ¾ cup)
â—¦ 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
â—¦ ¾ teaspoon kosher salt


Recipe

For the dough, pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, add the sugar, and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Stir the oil and salt into the yeast mixture. Stir in the flour until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, or knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook, about 5 minutes. Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of flour if the dough is too sticky. You want a soft but workable dough. Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Use about 1 tablespoon of the Finishing and Topping oil to grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Punch down the dough, divide into two balls, and transfer to the prepared pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Pat the dough evenly into the pans and let rest, loosely covered, until slightly puffy, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.
Make dimples in the surface of the dough with your fingertips and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange the onion slivers atop the breads, scatter with the rosemary, and sprinkle with the pepper flakes and salt.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400° F and continue baking until the focaccia are golden brown and the onion is tinged with char, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Turn out on a rack to cool. The loaves can be baked several hours ahead of serving and also freeze well. To reheat, wrap in foil and place in a preheated 375° F oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 loaves