Onion & Olive Focaccia

Onion and Olive Focaccia

This onion and olive focaccia brings the flavors of coastal Liguria straight out of your bread machine. Bread flour, yeast, and a splash of olive oil form the pillowy base, while chopped onions, garlic, briny olives, and fresh rosemary fold throughout for punch in every bite. The whole thing is hands-free: dump everything into the machine and walk away.

Focaccia forgives a lot, but one thing is worth getting right: the olives. Quality matters. Kalamata, Castelvetrano, or oil-cured black olives each bring a distinct character. Supermarket canned black olives work but won’t deliver the same depth. Pit them carefully or check a second time, because cracking a tooth on a stray pit is not the Italian experience anyone wants.

Bread flour (not all-purpose) is key here. Its higher protein content creates the open, chewy crumb that makes focaccia feel like focaccia rather than a dense sandwich loaf.

Cooking the onions gently before adding, or even caramelizing them slightly, deepens their flavor significantly. Raw onions added to the machine will mellow during baking but they retain more bite than cooked ones.

Kitchen Tips

• Chop the olives roughly rather than leaving whole; they distribute more evenly and every slice gets a taste.
• Add the olives and onion at the “add-ins” beep if your machine has one, or toward the end of the kneading cycle so they don’t get pulverized.
• Finish the finished loaf by brushing with olive oil and a pinch of flaky sea salt while still warm for that authentic focaccia shine.
• Use fresh rosemary if possible; the fragrance is dramatically more present than dried.

Variations

• Add ½ cup of sundried tomatoes for a sweet-savory Mediterranean twist.
• Stir in 1 cup of shredded mozzarella or chopped toasted walnuts for a richer loaf.
• Swap rosemary for fresh thyme or oregano for a different herbaceous profile.