You can serve the onion focaccia with a soft and persistent white wine like Lugana or a harmonious and intense wine like Pigato.
A fresh and fruity rosé wine like Lagrein Rosé is also an excellent choice.
Difficulty: medium
Method: 40
Cooking: 25
Rest: 90
Chef Danilo Angè
Difficulty: medium
Method: 40
Cooking: 25
Rest: 90
Method
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01 / Prepare the dough (with the planetary mixer)
Put the flour in the planetary mixer
Add the crumbled yeast, water, sugar, and extra virgin olive oil
Turn the mixer on low speed
Add salt when the dough starts to form
Increase the speed of the planetary mixer, it must be medium
When the dough is well formed, remove it from the machine
Place the dough on the worktop and finish kneading
You should obtain a compact and homogeneous dough
Place the dough in a bowl to leaven covered with cling film
Let it leaven until it has doubled in volume
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02 / If making the dough by hand
Put the flour in the bowl
Add the crumbled yeast, water, sugar, and extra virgin olive oil
Start working with your fingers
Add salt when the dough starts to form
Increase the kneading force
Place the dough on the worktop when formed
Finish kneading by using your hands vigorously and twisting the dough in all directions
Place the dough on the worktop and finish kneading
The dough should be compact, homogeneous, and not sticky, if necessary, add a little flour
Mettete l’impasto in una ciotola a lievitare coperto da pellicola alimentare
Let it leaven until it has doubled in volume
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03 / Roll out the dough
(from now on, the procedure is the same, whether the dough is made using the planetary mixer or by hand)
Flour your hands
Flour the worktop
Place the dough on the worktop and lightly flour the surface
You can make small focaccia or a single baking tray
For the small focaccia: make small loaves of about 50 g each
Work them with the palm of your hand to give them a spherical shape
Place them on a plate greased with extra virgin olive oil
For the single baking tray: roll out the dough to a thickness of about 3-5 mm with a rolling pin, working it in all directions
Shape the dough as closely as possible to the baking tray you will be using
Grease the baking tray with extra virgin olive oil
Roll out the dough, adapting it to the shape of the tin with your fingers
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04 / Prepare the emulsion
Add the water and extra virgin olive oil in a bowl
Work vigorously with a whisk to form an emulsion
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05 / Continue preparing the focaccia
Press the dough with your fingers, the one for the baking tray and the one for the small focaccia
Wet the dough with the water and oil emulsion using a brush
Leaven for another 30 minutes
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06 / Prepare the onions
Cut the onions into thin julienne strips
Stew them in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper over a low heat
Turn off when soft
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07 / Bake the focaccia
Bake the focaccia in the oven at 220°C for about 10 minutes
Remove the small focaccia and/or the focaccia from the oven and garnish with the onions
Place them back in the oven to finish baking, about 10 minutes for the small focaccia and 20 minutes for the focaccia in the baking tray
The focaccia is cooked when it is easy to lift from the bottom of the tin with a spatula
Remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving
If you wish, finish with a grinding of peppercorns
Wine pairing
You can make the focaccia dough a few hours in advance and let it leaven first in the bowl covered with food cling film in the refrigerator: leavening will be very slow because of the cold temperature. When taking it out of the refrigerator, proceed as indicated in the recipe, allowing it to complete its leavening until doubling in volume at a temperature of 25°-28°C.
You can also prepare the dough the day before and keep it in the fridge as indicated above. In this case, reduce the amount of yeast: 10 g of fresh brewer’s yeast will suffice.
You can also cook the onions the day before and store them in the fridge until use.
Flour is very important: do not use a weak flour, poor in protein, but a medium-strong one, with 12-13 g of protein per kg of flour. This type of flour absorbs enough water to prevent the dough from becoming sticky and to allow it leaven well.
Pay attention to the temperatures: yeasts work well at temperatures between 25° and 28°C. Therefore, do not use hot water, but the warmer the room temperature, the cooler the water must be. Do not allow your dough to leaven in an environment where the temperature is above 28°C. Cold also inhibits leavening: if you have no alternative, turn on the oven and then turn it off to obtain a temperature between 25° and 28°C, then place your dough to leaven, closing the door to prevent heat loss.
Do not let your dough near drafts: a crust will form on the surface preventing it from leavening.
Do not add the water and extra virgin olive oil all at once, but in small doses, always waiting for the dough to absorb the dose inserted before pouring the next one.
Salt inhibits the action of the yeast: do not add it immediately to the other ingredients, but when the dough starts to form.
Do not skip the leavening phases as this would compromise the focaccia!
Do not forget to press the focaccia with your fingers when adding the emulsion, this way it enters the ‘eyes’ that form creating the right contrast between crunchiness and softness when baking.
Do not put the raw onions on the focaccia, let them stew before stuffing: this will give you more control over their cooking for a more harmonious flavour.
If you have leftover focaccia you can keep it in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. All you need to do before using it is let it cool at room temperature.
You can freeze the focaccia, even cut into slices so you have ready-made portions. Then defrost it in the fridge and, before eating, let it cool to room temperature.
Choose a “medium-strong” flour, rich in protein: check the label of the product you are buying, the amount of protein should be 12-13 g per kg.
You can also use dry brewer’s yeast, calculating that 1 gram of dry yeast corresponds to 3.5 g of fresh yeast.
You can use any quality of onion you like; it is important that you let them stew to soften them well before stuffing the focaccia.
Ingredients for 4 people
1 kg “00” flour
20 g brewer’s yeast
550 ml water
80 g extra virgin olive oil
10 g salt
10 g caster sugar or malt
1 kg white onions
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the emulsion
50 g of water
120 g oil
Wine pairing
You can serve the onion focaccia with a soft and persistent white wine like Lugana or a harmonious and intense wine like Pigato.
A fresh and fruity rosé wine like Lagrein Rosé is also an excellent choice.
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