Focaccia Bread

Last year I got a mixer from my family for Mother's Day. I had been wanting one for a long, long time. I use it often, mostly for baked goods. But today I gave it a new purpose when I made Focaccia Bread. Focaccia can be made with so many different flavor combinations or toppings, and even turned into pizza. Last night, I decided to take this simple recipe and top it with caramelized onions and cheeses. I served my bread with Balsamic Chicken and green salad, which were both delicious, but the homemade bread that mommy made totally stole the show! (Even our picky eater ate a second slice!)

Focaccia Bread with Caramelized Onion & Cheese
adapted from Food Network Chef Anne Burrell's Recipe for Focaccia Bread


1 3/4 cups warm water
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
5 c.  all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
1 tbsp. salt
sea salt for sprinkling
1 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, sliced into thin rings
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning blend

Directions

Combine water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl. You will need to find a warm place to set your bowl. (I like to turn my oven on it's lowest heat setting and set the bowl on the stove top.) Wait at least 15 minutes until the yeast is foamy.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, salt, 1/2 c. of the olive oil and the yeast mixture on low speed. Once the dough has come together, scrape any excess flour off the sides of the bowl and then continue to knead in your mixer on medium speed for about 5 minutes. 

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface such as a cutting board and knead 1-2 times, adding a sprinkle of flour if dough is too sticky

Coat the inside of your mixer bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for an 1 hour. The dough should be doubled in size.

Coat a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with the remaining 1/2 c. of olive oil. Chef Burrell notes: This may seem excessive, but focaccia is an oily crusted bread. This is why it is soooooooooo delicious! (She's right!) Press dough into the pan and turn over to coat with olive oil. Stretch dough to fit the pan and put in a warm place and cover with plastic wrap (again) for 1 more hour. I know this seems like a lot of waiting...but really it's worth the wait! While the dough is rising  preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In the meantime, drizzle a bit of olive oil into a skillet on medium heat and add onions. Cook just until translucent (Try not to caramelize just yet as the process will be finished in the oven). Set aside.

When dough is finished rising, poke a spoon handle into dough, creating dimples, about every inch.


Liberally sprinkle top with course sea salt. Top with garlic, cheeses, onion (I left a portion without onions so that our picky eater would be willing to give it a try.) Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake until edges are golden brown and the onions have caramelized, about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!