Oniony Focaccia, or Focaccia con la Cipolla: Ligurian women would bake this focaccia when their men set sail, adding fresh onions at the last minute to make the aroma more powerful, and thus preserve their men from temptation.
Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8 1/3 cups (1 k) flour
- 1 ounce (25 g) active yeast
- 1/3 cup extravirgin olive oil
- One large onion, thinly sliced.
- Salt
Preparation:
Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Put the flour on your work surface, scoop a well in it, and pour in 6 tablespoons of oil, 3 pinches of salt, the yeast, and sufficient warm water to obtain a firm smooth dough. Knead it for 10 minutes, cover it, and let it rest for 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C). Grease a baking sheet, dust it with salt, then spread the dough over the sheet to a thickness slightly less than a half inch (1 cm), tamping it down with a spoon or your fingertips to give it a dimpled appearance. Let it rose on the pan for 10 minutes and bake it on a low rack for 20 minutes, rotating it 180 degrees after 10. Three minutes before it's done, sprinkle the finely sliced onion over it. Serve it hot, cut into squares.
Variations:
If you slice the onion, blanch it, and lay it over the focaccia before putting it into the oven, the end result will be more delicate.
Other recipes have you first soak the sliced onion for an hour, then pat it dry and sauté it in oil until limp, and spread it over the focaccia before baking it.
Preheat your oven to 400 F (200 C). Grease a baking sheet, dust it with salt, then spread the dough over the sheet to a thickness slightly less than a half inch (1 cm), tamping it down with a spoon or your fingertips to give it a dimpled appearance. Let it rose on the pan for 10 minutes and bake it on a low rack for 20 minutes, rotating it 180 degrees after 10. Three minutes before it's done, sprinkle the finely sliced onion over it. Serve it hot, cut into squares.
Variations:
If you slice the onion, blanch it, and lay it over the focaccia before putting it into the oven, the end result will be more delicate.
Other recipes have you first soak the sliced onion for an hour, then pat it dry and sauté it in oil until limp, and spread it over the focaccia before baking it.
