Focaccia (with onions, Genoese style)
I really love focaccia and Marcella’s recipe in Essentials has been my “go to” choice for years. She gives us a few variations and I’ve done some others on my own but this is the classic, onion focaccia of Genoa.
First you proof the yeast for about 10 minutes:
I used my mixer with a dough hook for the initial mixing of flour, yeast, olive oil, salt and water.
And finished with the gratifying kneading by hand.
The dough is left to rise–first in a ball on the baking sheet and then pressed into the rectangle shape of the pan.
Because I don’t have the 18 by 14 inch pan, I divided it into a large and small ball for two pans.
Before you put the focaccia into the oven you make dimples all over the dough using your fingers. (I have longish nails so I use my knuckles.) Then a mixture of olive oil, water and salt is brushed on, pooling into the dimples.
The onion topping is simply olive oil and onions briefly sautéed.
For the small pan, I just used a bit of fresh rosemary.
They’re baked in a hot oven and best eaten when still warm. I had to give some away to my neighbors so I didn’t eat the whole pan of it myself.
Like I said—I really love focaccia!
We once spent a summer in a little town near Genova called Sori, and every morning the only decision we had to make was whether we’d go get the focaccia con le cipolle or the farinata. It was a tough decision, but the focaccia came out the winner a little more frequently. Did you know that in Venice focaccia is a cake?
“Then a mixture of olive oil, water and salt is brushed on, pooling into the dimples”. I think this is the best sentence ever!! I love focaccia and both of yours with onions and then the rosemary must have tasted amazing! Wish you were my neighbor!!!
Brava!!
I love Marcella’s focaccia recipe! It has the most beautiful texture. I usually make the plain one with just a bit of rosemary or coarse salt. And you didn’t mention it but I love her kneading technique where you kind of smack the dough on the counter for 10 minutes or so. Great for getting rid of the day’s frustrations.