Rye Apple Onion Focaccia

I started making this rye focaccia while leading the Pastry and Bread program at Rossoblu in Los Angeles. I wanted the bread program to reflect the whole--grain heritage of Italy, and I loved making seasonal variations with fruit. Focaccia is also known as a salt cake, and I love cake with fruit. Here, we are celebrating a classic autumn variation of apples and onions, with some lemons to brighten the whole affair. Feel free to change out the toppings as the seasons change! This dough is extremely forgiving and a great place to build shaping confidence. Focaccia is great served warm alongside dinner or enjoyed cold as the ultimate sandwich bread stuffed with your choice of fillings. I also love it sliced thick and grilled with olive oil. Keeps for a week at room temperature, wrapped in a tea towel. Replace the honey with molasses to make the recipe vegan.

Makes 1 full sheet tray or three 8--inch rounds

INGREDIENTS

• 2 apples, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick vertically

  Bread and Roses Rose Wilde

• 1 onion, halved vertically and sliced 1/4 inch thick vertically

• 1 lemon, halved vertically and sliced 1/4 inch thick horizontally, seeds removed

• 10 g extra--virgin olive oil for tossing apple, onion, and lemon

• 180 g active starter

• 750 g warm water

• 200 g rye flour

• 825 g all--purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 4 g yeast

• 225 g extra--virgin olive oil, plus more for pan(s)

• 120 g honey, plus more for drizzling

• 15 g salt

• Baking spray

• Flaky sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Toss the cut apples, onion, and lemon in the 10 g of olive oil in a medium bowl and set aside.

With a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, set to low speed, combine the starter, 675 g of the warm water, flours, and yeast, if using the hybrid method. Continue to mix for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 75 g of the water, olive oil, honey, and salt. Add to the dough while still mixing on low speed. Raise the speed to medium and let mix for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and silky. Dip your fingers into some water and drag them down the hook to clear the dough. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Adjust for the ambient temperature according to the season: If you have a cool kitchen, leave the dough out for 1 hour at room temperature, then shape onto a sheet tray and transfer to the fridge (shaping instructions follow); if your kitchen is warm, shape on a sheet tray and transfer to the fridge immediately (shaping instructions follow).

Oil a sheet tray or three 8--inch round cake pans with olive oil: 3 tablespoons for a sheet tray, 1 tablespoon per pan for cake pans. To shape the focaccia, dust a clean, flat work surface with a small amount of flour.

For a sheet tray, dump the dough onto the surface and flatten it into a rough square. Grab each corner and pull it to touch the center of the dough. Once all the corners are tucked into the center, flip the dough over, press the sides of your hands against the work surface, and drag the dough toward you to tighten. Do this a few times until you have good tension. Let rest for 20 minutes.

Pick up the dough with the sides of your hands and place on your prepared sheet tray. Top the dough with another 3 tablespoons of olive oil, gently spreading it over the top with the palm of your hand, patting gently down and not out until the dough stretches to fill the sheet tray or pans. Wrap lightly with plastic wrap; lightly spraying the top with baking spray will keep it from sticking as it proofs. Place in the fridge to final proof overnight or proof at room temperature for 2 hours.

For three 8--inch round cakes, dump the dough onto the surface and flatten it into a rough square. Divide dough into three equal parts. Grab each corner of each portion and pull it to touch the center of the dough. Once all the corners are tucked into the center, flip the dough over, press the sides of your hands against the work surface, and drag the dough toward you to tighten. Do this a few times until you have good tension. Do this for all portions and let rest for 20 minutes.

Pick up the doughs with the sides of your hands and transfer them into your cake pans. Top each dough with another tablespoon of olive oil, gently spreading it over the top with the palm of your hand, patting gently down and not out until the dough stretches to fill the sheet tray or pans. Wrap lightly with plastic wrap; lightly spraying the top with baking spray will keep it from sticking as it proofs. Place in the fridge to final proof overnight or proof at room temperature for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Fill a small spray bottle with cold water. Pull the focaccia from the fridge or, if room temperature, do a few quick dimples in the dough. Spread your fingers wide and poke the dough all over, about three--quarters deep into the dough. Pop any huge bubbles, by pinching between your fingers but let little ones remain. Use a small spray bottle to spray the oven walls with cold water to create steam as you add the dough. Bake the focaccia for 15 minutes. Working quickly, scatter the apple mixture over the top of the focaccia. Sprinkle with sea salt and return to the oven. Bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and the internal temperature reads over 200°F. Use an offset spatula to clear bread from the edges of your sheet tray or cake pans. Remove bread to a cooling rack and drizzle the top with a little extra honey while still warm.

Note: If you use the hybrid method, dough can be made with active starter or inactive starter.

Excerpted from Bread and Roses: 100+ Grain Forward Recipes featuring Global Ingredients and Botanicals by Rose Wilde copyright © 2023, photography copyright © 2023 by Rebecca Stumpf, reprinted by permission of Countryman Press, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

When you shop using our links, we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!