Fresh Herbs & Onion Focaccia

I saved this focaccia recipe from a 1996 Food & Wine magazine (yes 24 years ago!).  Over that period, I  have made it quite a few times, but not for several years.  So with extra time on my hands (and a nudge from John) I decided to bake this beautiful focaccia last weekend. The dough rises quickly and smells divine even before it is formed and baked. This recipe has been fool-proof, turning out perfectly time after time.

Luckily if you don’t grow your own herbs, you can find them easily in any market.

A cup of minced onion is cooked in a bit of olive oil and the fresh herbs are added to the onions before being mixed into the dough.  Don’t skip this step.  The few minutes it takes to mince the onion and herbs and sauté until slightly softened will be well worth your time.

I used rapid rise (bread machine) yeast so the dough doubled quickly, in about an hour.  If you use regular active dry yeast, the rising time could take up to 2 hours. Either of these is fine.

The dough rises until it has doubled in bulk.  You will then punch down the dough and let it rise again for another 45 minutes or so.  Now it is ready to be shaped and placed in your pan.  Along with the onion that is incorporated in the dough, extra slivers of softened onion are added on top with raw sesame seeds and Maldon salt.  Chili flakes, poppy seeds, more fresh herbs, and olives are other options.   Or leave it plain with just a sprinkling of coarse salt.

The dough is billowy and soft, and flecked with herbs.

Beautiful focaccia with a light open crumb makes for a tender bread that is perfect with your favorite Italian meal or split and used for salami and cheese sandwiches.  This is the reason I saved my old favorite.

Fresh Herbs & Onion Focaccia

 

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Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine

Author: Kiyo Miller

Serves: 17x13-inch focaccia

Ingredients

• Fresh Herbs & Onion:
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 cup (packed) minced yellow onion
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• freshly ground black pepper
• Dough:
• 1½ cups lukewarm water (105-115 degrees)
• 1 cup lukewarm 2% lactose free or regular milk (105-115 degrees)
• 1 scant tablespoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• (1) ¼ ounce envelope rapid rise yeast (also known as bread machine or instant yeast - 2¼ teaspoons)
• 6½ cups bread flour (spoon & level measuring method)
• cornmeal for dusting
• Topping:
• 1 large onion, sliced into thin wedges and separated into strips
• Raw sesame seeds
• Maldon sea salt for sprinkling
• olive oil

Preparation

1. For the herbs & onion mixture: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over moderate heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, reduce the heat to low and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the herbs and a generous amount of pepper and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the water, milk, salt and sugar.
2. Measure bread flour into a medium bowl, add yeast and whisk together.
3. Stir flour 1 cup at a time into the herb-liquid mixture until the dough becomes too stiff to stir. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until smooth, supple and elastic, about 5 minutes, kneading in only as much flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.
4. Generously grease a large bowl with olive oil. The dough is very lively and will double in size so use the largest bowl you have. Transfer the dough to the bowl and turn to coat with the olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Set aside in a warm draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1½ hours.
5. While the dough is rising, sauté the onion slices for the topping in a bit of olive oil on medium-low heat until just softened, about 4 minutes or so. Don't let them brown or soften too much as they will cook again in the oven.
6. Once doubled in bulk, punch down the dough. Re-cover the bowl and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Brush olive oil over the bottom and sides of a 17-by-13-by1-inch dark heavy aluminum baking sheet (I use my jelly roll pan). Sprinkle cornmeal on the pan and tap out excess.
8. Punch down the dough and turn it onto a cornmeal-dusted work surface. Turn the dough over and over to coat lightly with cornmeal and shape into a large, rough rectangle. Lift the dough and place in the prepared pan. Don't worry if it loses its shape in the transfer, it is very forgiving. Gently pull, push and pat the dough so it fills the baking sheet. Let the dough rise uncovered in a draft-free spot until billowy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
9. While dough is rising, preheat oven to 450 degrees with the rack positioned in the bottom third. If using a baking stone, place on the rack and heat for at least 30 minutes.
10. Scatter the sautéed onions evenly over the top of the dough. Dip your fingers in olive oil and make many deep indentations in the dough, pressing sautéed onion strips into the dough gently. Brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and Maldon sea salt.
11. Place the baking sheet in the oven (on the baking stone if using) and bake for about 20 minutes until the edges are crisp and the focaccia is a deep golden color. Remove from the oven and brush extra virgin olive oil (optional) over the top. Using a large metal spatula, slide focaccia onto a large rack to cool.
12. Let cool before cutting into pieces with a bread knife. Leftover focaccia can be frozen in Ziploc freezer bags.

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