Fresh Rosemary Onion Focaccia

An Italian focaccia that uses the bread machine for the heavy mixing work, then transfers to the oven for the crusty, dimpled finish that defines real focaccia. The cooked Spanish onions get folded into the dough at the end of kneading, leaving visible sweet caramelized clumps poking through the surface.

Fresh rosemary goes directly into the dough, not just on top, so the herbal flavor permeates the whole bread. A third of a cup might sound aggressive, but rosemary’s pine-resin character mellows considerably with the long rise and the bake.

The cornmeal mixed into the flour is a Ligurian-style touch. It adds a faint sweetness and a slightly gritty bite to the crust, the way a real southern Italian focaccia tastes when you buy it from a panificio.

The overnight cold rise option is worth the wait. Slow fermentation in the fridge develops complex sourdough-like flavors and creates a chewier, more open crumb than a room-temperature rise can achieve.

Pro Tips

• Cook the Spanish onion until deeply golden and sweet before adding to the dough. Pale undercooked onion makes the bread taste raw.

• Reserve the onion cooking liquid and use it to brush the dough surface before rising. It adds another layer of onion flavor.

• Make the dimples with your fingertips just before baking, not earlier. Earlier dimples flatten out during the final rise.

• Bake on a preheated pizza stone if you have one. The bottom crust crisps up dramatically better than on a cold pan.

Variations

• Add a half cup of pitted kalamata olives along with the onion for a Mediterranean variation.

• Top with thinly sliced fresh figs and a drizzle of honey for a sweet-savory autumn version.

• Sprinkle with grated parmesan and red pepper flakes before baking for a pizza-bianca style focaccia.