Flatbread in 5: Rosemary & Onion Focaccia Bread

The base for this recipe is the Olive Oil Dough from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread In Five Minutes a Day that I recently posted. It's a recipe I found on Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francois' website BreadIn5 and adapted it slightly to utilize the equipment I have on hand.

The recipe specifies using a baking stone. I do not have one but I do have a flat cast iron skillet that I substituted with no problem.

When Jeff demonstrated at the 2017 National Festival of Breads he mentioned, "The smaller the oven, the better flatbreads brown." That means our countertop Breville oven was perfect for baking this focaccia. The bread was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Delicious to eat as bread or to slice open and fill with sandwich ingredients. 

Rosemary and Onion Focaccia Bread
1/4 medium white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

Olive Oil Dough from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread In Five Minutes a Day
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves  (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh)
Coarse salt

1. Preheat a baking stone near the middle of the oven to 425°.

   

   I don't have a baking stone so I used a flat cast iron skillet. 

2. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 9” cake pan (square or round)  and evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
3. In a skillet, sweat the onions slices over low to medium heat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until softened but not browned (if you brown the onions they’ll burn in the oven). Set aside to cool slightly.
   
4. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit size) piece. 
   
5. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
   
6. Using your hands, flatten it into a 1/2” thick round. Place the dough top side down into the cake pan, and move it around a bit to cover it in olive oil. Turn the dough over, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
   
7. Use your hands to gently push the dough to the edges of the cake pan. Arrange the onions over the surface of the dough, leaving about a 1” border at the edges. Allow some of the dough surface to show through the onion. You may not need to use all of the onions—if you can’t see much dough surface, you’re using too many and your focaccia won’t brown attractively. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse salt (to taste).
   
8. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and allow the focaccia to rest and rise for 20 minutes.
9. After the focaccia has rested, place the cake pan on the baking stone in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is medium brown and crisp on the bottom. Be careful not to burn the onions. The baking time will vary according to the focaccia’s thickness.
   
10. Cut into squares or wedges and serve warm.

    

    Turkey sandwich between sliced Focaccia bread w/ potato salad on the side.

Recipe without photos . . .   Rosemary and Onion Focaccia Bread

1/4 medium white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

Olive Oil Dough from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread In Five Minutes a Day
3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh)
Coarse salt

1. Preheat a baking stone near the middle of the oven to 425°.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 9” cake pan (square or round)  and evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
3. In a skillet, sweat the onions slices over low to medium heat in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until softened but not browned (if you brown the onions they’ll burn in the oven). Set aside to cool slightly.
4. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit size) piece. 
5. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.
6. Using your hands, flatten it into a 1/2” thick round. Place the dough top side down into the cake pan, and move it around a bit to cover it in olive oil. Turn the dough over, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Use your hands to gently push the dough to the edges of the cake pan. Arrange the onions over the surface of the dough, leaving about a 1” border at the edges. Allow some of the dough surface to show through the onion. You may not need to use all of the onions—if you can’t see much dough surface, you’re using too many and your focaccia won’t brown attractively. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse salt (to taste).
8. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and allow the focaccia to rest and rise for 20 minutes.
9. After the focaccia has rested, place the cake pan on the baking stone in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is medium brown and crisp on the bottom. Be careful not to burn the onions. The baking time will vary according to the focaccia’s thickness.
10. Cut into squares or wedges and serve warm.