Focaccia Recipe with Caramelized Onion, Tomato & Rosemary (2024)

Published: Feb 18, 2011 · Modified: Jun 24, 2019 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 126 Comments

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This focaccia recipe, topped with caramelized onions and tomatoes, is inspired by a trip to Italy and a meeting with a kind-hearted Italian grandmother.

I learned many years ago not to question Italian grandmothers when it comes to matters of the kitchen, particularly when these matters involve a classic focaccia recipe and gnocchi. When I was in my early twenties, making an epic backpacking trip around Europe (well, it was epic to me anyways), my friend and I stayed at a charming pensione, named Chicco di Grano, in the heart of Tuscany.

While the family-run inn was not the luxurious Italian villa that regularly stars in my daydreams, it was many steps above the bunk-sleeping, shower-sharing youth hostels of our travels to that point. Nestled at the top of a long driveway lined by prolific olive trees and host to an expansive view of the surrounding vineyards and groves, Chicco di Grano was the destination of many Italian travelers. Perhaps our very limited handle of the Italian language (counting from one to ten doesn't count) was why we got off on the wrong foot with the proprietor's elderly mother.

Dinners at Chicco di Grano were enjoyed at the long wooden table set on the stone patio. If you were the newcomers, as we were the first night, you were seated at the end of the table furthest away from the hosts, Paolo and Jean - and Paolo's mother (we'll call her Nonna). As guests departed on subsequent nights, the newcomers became old-timers and moved up the table. It was that first night that we were under the intense scrutiny of Nonna. Each time I looked up the table, she was studying us, never sparing a smile for either my friend or me. What had we done to offend her? Had we broken some cardinal rule of Italian dining?

With some trepidation, we arrived at the breakfast table the next morning. When Nonna came into the room, she shuffled over to us, wished us a hearty "Buongiorno", pulled each of us down to her, and planted kisses on our cheeks. Besides being effusive in our compliments of the dinner and throwing a wild party in our room, we had no idea how we made our way into her good graces overnight. It was not to be questioned.

As the days went by, we spent many hours around that table on the patio, diving into the wonderful meals, sipping wine, and dancing under the stars with Paolo and the other guests. The day before we departed Chicco di Grano, Nonna beckoned us into the kitchen. Through hand gestures and patient demonstration, she taught us to make her rosemary-infused focaccia and pillowy gnocchi. Those couple of hours lit a culinary fire in me and taught me about the importance of taking care in preparing meals for those you love. My notes from that lesson were tucked away in my travel journal that my parents found recently. Unfortunately, I was missing the amounts for a couple of the focaccia ingredients. So, the basic focaccia recipe is from Food & Wine Magazine. The toppings, however, are Nonna-inspired. I think she would have approved.

The focaccia recipe:

In a medium bowl, stir together yeast, warm water, and honey. Let rest until yeast blooms and bubbles form on top, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour, ¼ cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead until dough is smooth, 5 to 10 minutes.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Printable Recipe

Focaccia with Caramelized Onion, Tomato & Rosemary Recipe

This focaccia recipe, topped with caramelized onions and tomatoes, is inspired by a trip to Italy and a meeting with a kind-hearted Italian grandmother.

4.71 from 41 votes

Ingredients

1 package dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon honey
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 medium tomato cut into ¼-inch slices
2 sprigs fresh rosemary needles removed from stem
⅓ cup packed finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together yeast, warm water, and honey. Let rest until yeast blooms and bubbles form on top, about 10 minutes.
Stir in flour, ¼ cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead until dough is smooth, 5 to 10 minutes.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let rest in a warm place until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Remove dough from bowl and press it into a lightly oiled 9- by 13-inch baking sheet until it touches the edges. Using your finger, poke holes all over the dough. Drizzle the dough with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Let rest until the dough becomes puffy, about 20 minutes.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion slices, cover and cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
Top the dough with tomato slices, caramelized onions, rosemary, Parmesan cheese, and salt. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Bake until the focaccia is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack. Cut into pieces and serve.

Notes

Basic focaccia recipe adapted from Food & Wine Magazine.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

Focaccia Recipe with Caramelized Onion, Tomato & Rosemary (2024)

FAQs

What are the two types of focaccia? ›

Venetian focaccia is sweet, baked for Easter and resembles the traditional Christmas cake panettone. Sugar and butter are used instead of olive oil and salt. Focaccia barese, which is common in Puglia in southern Italy, is made with durum wheat flour and topped with salt, rosemary, tomatoes or olives.

Is it better to use bread flour or all purpose flour for focaccia? ›

Focaccia: The two focaccias were very different. The one made with bread flour was taller, airier, had much more open bubbles in the crumb, and browned nicely. In the mixer, the all-purpose dough never seemed to come together as a cohesive whole in the same way as the bread flour dough.

Why does focaccia use so much olive oil? ›

Now, focaccia uses plenty of olive oil, not only in the dough, but for kneading, proofing, in the baking pan, and on the bread's surface before baking. All this fat means the texture is light, moist and springy, the crust emerges golden and crisp, plus the center stays soft for days afterwards.

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How to keep onions from burning on focaccia? ›

Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil and onion, and then season with salt and pepper. Let the onions cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized (15-20 minutes). You want them soft and caramelized, not crispy and burned.

Do you put rosemary in before or after oven? ›

After I first learned how to use rosemary, I found that you can use it with many foods. Most of the time, especially when roasting meats, it can be as simple as sprinkling it over meat before placing it in the oven.

What is a good add in for focaccia? ›

Herbs and garlic are popular toppings, but you can add anything like olives, tomatoes, sesame seeds, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, pesto, caramelized onions, and more. Pizza is a meal, but focaccia can be part of a meal, an appetizer, a soup dipper, a sauce soaker-upper, and even the crust of a sandwich or panini.

Find Out More ›

Is focaccia healthier than regular bread? ›

A moderate consumption of focaccia bread can be healthy. It is because complex carbs in focaccia offer the body energy slowly and help control blood sugar levels. In addition, it gains an advantage if it contains whole wheat flour. It is also rich in vitamin, mineral, and fibre content.

Read On ›

Does focaccia have to rise twice? ›

Transfer to the pan - The dough is transferred to an oiled pan and spread out slightly, and placed in a warm place. Rise focaccia in the pan - The dough rises a second time, uncovered, until doubled in size, puffy, and jiggly. This rising time depends on whether you started with room temperature or cold dough.

Why is King Arthur flour better? ›

King Arthur Flour contains no bleach, no bromate, and no artificial preservatives of any kind. What you get—instead of those chemical bleaching agents—is flour from superior grains grown by farmers we trust.

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When to add toppings to focaccia? ›

Top & Bake – 3:15 p.m.

Then, drizzle on 1-2 tablespoons of your extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with herbs and coarse sea salt. If using other toppings, add them now as well—I like to press them into the dough gently. Bake the focaccia in the oven at 450°F (232°C) until deeply colored on top, about 30 minutes.

Learn More Now ›

Can focaccia dough be left out overnight? ›

("Overnight" is baker for 8-12 hours). After an overnight rest at room temperature, the focaccia dough will have spread out into the corners of the pan. It will look airy and bubbly and should jiggle slightly when you shake the pan.