If you have watched Netflix's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat you know that making focaccia can be a sensual experience.
Unlike other breads, the backbone of focaccia is the olive oil. Focaccia has the unique ability to be crusty and crumbly, but lusciously oily and rich at the same time. You know how good it is at Italian restaurants to dip your bread into olive oil on the table. Well that's focaccia in itself. It's divine.
I particularly love making focaccia bread because it isn't as tedious as regular bread making. It doesn't require long rise times and instead of forming it into a perfect ball to be baked, you just press it into a regular baking sheet. The best part about focaccia is that since it's heavily oily, it slides out of the pan so easily. It's the little things that really impress me. Nobody likes scrapping stuck on dough off of a pan.
My dad plants over 100 tomato plants a year and no, that is not a typo. When my dad gets into a hobby, it's go big or go home. Hence the three chameleons he's owned in one year. Come August, he literally panics because he has too many tomatoes. I don't think I have ever bought store bough fresh tomatoes in my life (aside from cherry tomatoes) during the summer. I felt like I was betraying my dad when I picked up these late summer heirloom tomatoes from the store. I just couldn't ignore these tomatoes and my dad just cut down his plants last weekend. Focaccia to me is best with fresh sliced tomatoes on top. I love it so much I try to make every bite have a bit of tomato to compliment the crusty bread.
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 tsp honey
1 packet active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 white onion thinly sliced into rings
1 tomato thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh rosemary (1 tbsp dried)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Combine water, yeast, and honey in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. In the bowl of a standing mixer mix 2 1/2 cups flour and salt together. Slowly add in the yeast mixture and 1/4 cup olive oil and mix on a low speed until the dough is fully combined. You will need to scrape down the edges with a rubber spatula. Add in more flour is consistency looks wet. The dough should come together in a firm ball. Cover and place the dough in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. Meanwhile heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in onions and cook for 3 minutes. Turn heat down to low and cover for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Oil a 9x13 inch baking sheet with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. When dough has risen, punch the dough and transfer to baking sheet. Preheat over to 450 degrees F. Make sure the oil fully coats the dough. It should be a wet consistency. Let the dough rise for an additional 20 minutes. Top the dough with sliced tomatoes and caramelized onions. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle parmesan cheese over dough. Bake for an additional five minutes. Serve.
1 cup warm water
1 tsp honey
1 packet active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 white onion thinly sliced into rings
1 tomato thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh rosemary (1 tbsp dried)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Combine water, yeast, and honey in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. In the bowl of a standing mixer mix 2 1/2 cups flour and salt together. Slowly add in the yeast mixture and 1/4 cup olive oil and mix on a low speed until the dough is fully combined. You will need to scrape down the edges with a rubber spatula. Add in more flour is consistency looks wet. The dough should come together in a firm ball. Cover and place the dough in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. Meanwhile heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in onions and cook for 3 minutes. Turn heat down to low and cover for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Oil a 9x13 inch baking sheet with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. When dough has risen, punch the dough and transfer to baking sheet. Preheat over to 450 degrees F. Make sure the oil fully coats the dough. It should be a wet consistency. Let the dough rise for an additional 20 minutes. Top the dough with sliced tomatoes and caramelized onions. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle parmesan cheese over dough. Bake for an additional five minutes. Serve.
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