Hello friends! Today’s recipe for a rustic focaccia with tomatoes, onions, and olives is coming to you from Italy! We arrived in Rome a few days ago, but I had made this delicious treat just before my trip and with plans to share it with you today.
What is focaccia?
Focaccia is an Italian flat bread that is very simple to make and does not require any shaping. The soft and pillowy dough is made with just flour and water, some yeast, and a good amount of extra virgin olive oil. Every Italian region has its own local variation, but the most-well known versions are the ones from Genoa (focaccia genovese) and Bari (focaccia barese).
The many toppings of focaccia
Delicious on its own with just a simple sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil, a focaccia is the perfect canvas for all sorts of toppings. The toppings can be any variety of seasonal sautéed vegetables, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, and/or cheeses. Feel free to experiment with your favorite ingredients! This rustic focaccia with tomatoes, onions, and olives is one of my favorites.
How to serve the focaccia
Focaccia is usually cut into small squares and enjoyed on its own as a snack, or, it is offered as part of an antipasto course. In its simplest form, that is without any topping, focaccia is one of the most beloved Italian sandwich breads, split in half and filled with cured meats, fresh mozzarella or other cheeses, arugula, or fresh and marinated vegetables.
How to scale it down
This recipe is a real crowd pleaser; it is perfect for parties and is one of the first items that always disappears fast in a gathering! It calls for five cups of flour, which make a lot of focaccia (but, believe me, this will disappear fast). You can, however, easily scale the recipe by half and make only one pan (13″ x 9″) rather than the two called for in this recipe.
If you make the whole recipe, you could save half of the dough in the refrigerator to use later in the week, or, freeze it for another time. This recipe for rustic focaccia with tomatoes, onions, and olives is super simple, and so foolproof that even the non-experienced baker can tackle it with confidence!
- 1¾ cups warm water
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 TBSP. sugar
- 5 cups flour for pizza or bread flour
- 1 TBSP. sea salt
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- --- ---- coarse sea salt for sprinkling
- --- --- olive oil for the vegetables
- 2 large red onions, sliced
- 3 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
- --- ---- fresh herbs (rosemary and/or thyme)
- 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted & chopped in quarters
- --- --- more olive oil to drizzle on top
- In a 2-cup measuring cup, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Set aside in a warm place away from drafts until the yeast is forming small bubbles, about 15 minutes.
- In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, 1 TBSP sea salt, ½ cup olive oil and the yeast mixture on low speed. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 3 more minutes on medium speed until the dough becomes smooth and soft. If the dough feels sticky or tacky, sprinkle it with some more flour.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it by hand for a few minutes, adding more flour if necessary.
- Coat the inside of the mixing bowl lightly with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
- Coat two sheet pans (13” x 9” x 1” jelly roll pans) with the remaining ½ cup olive oil.
- Place the dough onto the pans and begin pressing it out (with the tips of your fingers) to fit the size of the pans. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pans. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make small dimples all the way through the dough (but on the boarder). Put the dough in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425 °F and prepare the topping.
- In a large skillet, caramelize the sliced onions by slowly cooking them, uncovered, in some olive oil with a sprinkle of salt, until they are lightly browned, stirring occasionally (but not too often). Add the tomatoes and cook briefly. Turn off the heat and add the fresh herbs and Kalamata olives (or, any favorite olives). Set aside.
- Liberally sprinkle the top of the focaccia with some coarse sea salt and lightly drizzle some olive oil on top. Bake the foccacie for about 10 minutes and then spread the caramelized onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs and olives mixture over the two pans. Bake them for another 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove the pans from the oven and let them cool slightly before cutting and serving.
THANK YOU FOR READING and FOLLOWING ALONG!
If you are not already following my blog, please subscribe to Marilena’s Kitchen to have each new post delivered right to your inbox!
Please consider supporting my blog by reviewing and rating my recipes! ?????
Beautiful picture! Sounds wonderful!
Thank you Kathy, so glad you like it!
Hi Marilena’
If substituting oat flour, will the recipe turn out the same? Thanks!
Hi Cordelia,
Oat flour can be used without a problem in baked goods, like quick breads and cookies that do not require yeast to rise….Unfortunately, this is not the case with pizza that needs yeast to rise. I would not substitute more than a quarter of the amount of the wheat flour the recipe calls for, with oat flour – the texture will not be the same. I hope this helps!
Thanks Marilena!
Any time, Cordelia. Let me know you have any other questions!
Looks delicious. Can’t wait to make it. All your recipes sound so interesting and delicious. Also enjoy reading their history
. Enjoy Italy.
Thank you so much for your comment Carl, I so appreciate it! I find the history behind each recipe very interesting too, so I am always trying to share it on each blog:) I hope you make this focaccia – it is delicious!
Loved it!
Thank you Kathy:)
Oh, my goodness, this was so good!! One taste, and it brought me right back to my Sicilian grandfather’s weekend faccia da vecchia. Truly delicious and absolutely authentic!
Thank you for this, Marilena!
I am so glad you liked it so much Dianne! One of our favorites for my family too!
Can you make the dough by hand. I don’t have a mixer.
Yes, of course! All you need is a large bowl and a wooden spoon!