One of the best breads around. Just dip it in some tomato sauce or olive oil and you will be pleased. The sponginess of this bread is unbeatable, and the olive oil will have you wanting more. I don’t really need to sell this bread, it sells itself. So without further ado, this is the star of my blog so far. It took only the whole day to make, as well as some love and care but turned out beautiful and delicious.
I decided to serve the focaccia with caramelized onions, because I had so much down time waiting for the dough to rise. The flavors of the soft, slightly salty, olive oil focaccia with the sweet carmelization of the onions turned out to be a glorious pair.
Ingredients (2 foccacia loafs):
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour + extra for kneading
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water (~110 F)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 rosemary springs (optional)
- 1 yellow onion for carmelized onion topping (optional)
- Coarse salt for topping (optional)
Directions:
1. Put the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and mix. Leave for 10 minutes or until there is bubbles on the surface.
If you desire, you can start the carmelization of the onions at this point. Thinly slice your onion, and put about 2 tablespoons butter in a frying pan. Stir onions with a wooden spoon to scrape off all brown bits off the pan. Do this for about 45 minutes, or until a golden to dark brown. You can put them on top of the focaccia before you bake it or simply top the bread with the onions.
5. Then, grease 2 8-inch round baking pans. Stretch one ball of dough in each pan. Use your fingers to stretch them to the sides of the pan. Then, let them sit for 45 minutes, until they rise.