French Onion Focaccia
MAKES
One 9 x 13 inch / 23 x 33 cm loaf
TAKES
Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes (+ up to 48 hours chill time)
Cook time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Total: 3 hours 5 minutes (+ up to 48 hours chill time)
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
Focaccia is wonderfully easy, and pays off hugely in flavor and texture for being such a low lift. It’s a great bread for beginners, for when you want to lazy bake, or for folks who are straight up scared of making bread. In my family, we make focaccia a lot when people are coming over - it makes the house smell great, everyone loves it, and it pairs with whatever other snacky foods we’re having. But it also makes an amazing sandwich bread, which is why I make so many shapes, sizes, and riffs on my Weeknight Focaccia recipe inside my book, Savory Baking.
INGREDIENTS
Weeknight Focaccia
570 g / 4 ¾ cups bread flour
12 g / 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
7 g / 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
452 g / 2 cups warm water (around 110°F/43°C)
60 g / ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
21 g / 1 tablespoon honey
Toppings
475 mL / 2 cups beef broth (see Note)
45 g / 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
30 g / 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
about 800 g / 3 large sweet onions
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
30 g / 2 tablespoons apple cider or white wine
170 g / 6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
More Baking Tips and Tricks:
METHOD
1. Make the focaccia dough: 12-48 hours before you want to bake the focaccia, make the dough. In a large bowl, stir the flour, salt, and yeast together to combine.
2. Add the water, olive oil, and honey and mix until thoroughly combined, 1-2 minutes. The dough will be very wet and sticky. Cover the bowl and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Using a dough scraper or damp hands, gently reach under the dough, folding the bottom portion of it over onto the top. Repeat this process 4 to 5 times, working your way around the bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 48 hours.
4. While the dough rises, prepare the toppings. In a medium pot, bring the beef broth to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the broth until it reaches about ⅓ cup / 80 mL of liquid. Set aside to cool (see Note)
5. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onions, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to wilt slightly, 4-5 minutes.
6. Season the onions with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onions soften and become very translucent, 8-10 minutes. At this point, turn the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions are deeply caramelized, 40-45 minutes more.
7. Deglaze the pan with the apple cider or wine, and cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. Add the reduced beef broth and stir well to combine. Set the onions aside to cool slightly.
8. Grease your baking pan generously with olive oil. Add the dough to the pan and gently turn it until both sides are lightly oiled. Cover the pan and let the dough rise until it nearly doubles in size and fills the pan, 30 minutes-1 hour.
9. Use your fingertips to gently stipple the dough to even out the thickness, helping to spread it out over the base of the pan. Cover and let the dough rest while you preheat the oven.
10. Preheat the oven to 450°F / 235°C with an oven rack in the center.
11. Arrange the onions over the focaccia in an even layer, and top evenly with the shredded cheese. Bake the focaccia until the crust is deeply golden brown, and the cheese is melted and well browned, 28-35 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
NOTES
For a vegetarian version of this recipe, just omit the beef broth/reduction from the recipe (or replace it with vegetable or mushroom broth).
For a quicker replacement for the beef broth reduction, you can dissolve 22 g / 1 ½ tablespoons of beef bouillon paste in ⅓ cup / 80 mL hot water. Whisk well to combine, and bring to a boil. Use this in place of the broth reduction, and eliminate step 4.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
