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Focaccia with Caramelized Onions & Pistachios

By Manali Singh

5 from 1 vote

May 09, 2015, Updated May 07, 2023

Focaccia with Caramelized Onions & Roasted Pistachios. An easy homemade bread for all occasions!

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Even after making breads at home for more than 3 years now, I still feel the same excitement as I did when I baked my 1st bread. The fact that it was a complete failure is a different story altogether. It was hard like a rock and I swear I could throw it on the wall and nothing would happen to it. YES, that rock solid! I always have a good laugh whenever I remember that incident.

Anyway so because tomorrow is Mother’s Day, I thought of sharing another brunch recipe and what better than homemade bread? They are just so wonderful. There are days when I don’t want to do anything but just bake breads. How I wish I could get one such day, there’s never enough time.

Focaccia is one of my favorite homemade breads. The reason is simple 1) it tastes great 2) it’s so easy to make. What’s not to love? In fact if someone is new to baking breads, I would recommend starting with focaccia. It’s an easy recipe which doesn’t require special ingredients or equipments. While basic focaccia is great by itself, I like to jazz it up a bit sometimes, like in this recipe of Focaccia with Caramelized Onions & Roasted Pistachios.

There are 2 things that I personally highly recommend if you plan to make this bread at home.

1. Good quality Olive oil: It’s given that a good focaccia needs a good olive oil. I think that is the most important thing in this recipe because it is like everywhere. You mix olive oil in the dough, you use it while kneading, you coat the dough with it while it rises, you brush the dough with it before it goes in the oven and then you also brush it with some more olive oil once the bread is out of the oven! See, told you! Now I am no expert in telling which olive oil is good and which is not. So if you are like me, just pick a good brand based on reviews and ratings and stick to it.

2. Bread flour: I love the texture this bread has. It’s little crusty from outside and soft from inside. And using bread flour does make a difference. Of course you can use all purpose flour but if you can I insist on using bread flour. After all it is called “bread flour” for a reason, no? 😉

You can caramelize the onion, top the bread with it and then bake it. I baked the focaccia as such and topped it with the onion and pistachios just before serving. It’s delicious either way! I love to eat focaccia as such as soon as it’s out of the oven, it’s little hard for me to resist. The bread pairs beautifully with some homemade soups like roasted cauliflower soup and roasted tomato soup with chickpeas. Also you can make sandwiches with the leftovers!

Method

In a bowl sift together bread flour, salt and dried oregano. Set aside.

In a small jar/bowl, take warm water and mix some honey to it. Immediately add active dry yeast and give a quick stir. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes you will see the yeast mixture all frothy and bubble up. This is called proofing the yeast and indicates that the yeast is now ready to be used. If you don’t see any froth, it means the yeast is dead. Throw the mixture and start over again.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in flour mix.

Now add the yeast mixture and mix with a spatula till everything is well combined.

Transfer the dough to your working counter. It won’t be smooth at this time.

Put some flour on the surface and start kneading the dough, after 2-3 minutes the dough will become little smooth. Apply 1/2 tsp oilve oil on one side and knead. Apply 1/2 tsp of oil on the other side as well and knead.

Keep kneading for 7-8 minutes [apply a tsp of oil more in between].

Knead till dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer the dough into a bowl and coat it with some olive oil. Make sure the dough is coated from all sides.

Cover the dough and keep it in a warm place and let it rise for around 1 hour. I kept mine in the microwave, you can keep it in an oven [which is obviously switched off] or at any other warm place in your house. After 1 hour, the dough will more than double in size, as you can see in the picture.

Transfer the dough onto to 13X9 baking pan and punch to release the air. Flatten it a bit using your fingers and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.

Flatten the dough completely so that it covers the pan.

Drizzle some olive oil on top and using your fingers poke the dough all through. This is called dotting the bread.

Poke all the way till you fingers touch the pan and in the end you should have something like this, as seen in the 3rd picture. Cover at keep keep the pan in a warm place for 30-45 minutes for 2nd rising.

Preheat the oven at 475 F degrees. After the dough has risen, drizzle very little olive oil all over again. You can use a brush to spread the oil but careful not to punch down the dough so do it very slowly. Sprinkle some sea-salt crystals, this is optional but recommended. Bake the bread at 475 F degrees for 15 minutes till it’s nice golden brown in color.

While the bread is in the oven, heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, till it becomes translucent.

Add brown sugar and continue to cook till the onion caramelizes, this will take 15-20 minutes. Be careful to not burn the onion.

Take focaccia out from the oven, brush some olive oil on top while it’s still warm. Top with caramelized onion and roasted pistachios and serve immediately.

Enjoy the bread as is or with some soup on the side!

* I used pistachios which were already roasted in this recipe. If you have the raw pistachios, roast them in the oven till fragrant and then use in the recipe.

* You can use any herb of your choice in the focaccia. Rosemary is a popular choice.

* To store the leftovers, wrap the bread tightly in a cling sheet and leave it at room temperature. It should stay good for 2-3 days.

Focaccia with Caramelized Onions & Pistachios

5 from 1 vote

By Manali Singh

Servings: 4

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Focaccia with Caramelized Onions & Roasted Pistachios. An easy homemade bread for all occasions!

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Bread

• ▢ 2.5 cups bread flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1.5 teaspoons oregano dried
• ▢ 1 cup warm water
• ▢ 2.25 teaspoon active dry yeast
• ▢ ½ teaspoon honey
• ▢ 3-4 teaspoons of olive oil extra

Topping

• ▢ 1 onion sliced into thin pieces
• ▢ ⅛ cup roasted pistachios unsalted and broken into pieces
• ▢ 1 tablespoons oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon brown sugar

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Instructions 

Focaccia

• In a bowl sift together bread flour, salt and dried oregano. Set aside.
• In a small jar/bowl, take warm water and mix some honey to it. Immediately add active dry yeast and give a quick stir. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes you will see the yeast mixture all frothy and bubble up. This is called proofing the yeast and indicates that the yeast is now ready to be used. If you don't see any froth, it means the yeast is dead. Throw the mixture and start over again.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil in flour mix.
• Now add the yeast mixture and mix with a spatula till everything is well combined.
• Transfer the dough to your working counter. It won't be smooth at this time.
• Put some flour on the surface and start kneading the dough, after 2-3 minutes the dough will become little smooth.
• Apply 1/2 tsp oilve oil on one side and knead. Apply 1/2 tsp of oil on the other side as well and knead.
• Keep kneading for 7-8 minutes [apply a tsp of oil more in between].
• Knead till dough is smooth and elastic.
• Transfer the dough into a bowl and coat it with some olive oil. Make sure the dough is coated from all sides.
• Cover the dough and keep it in a warm place and let it rise for around 1 hour. I kept mine in the microwave, you can keep it in an oven [which is obviously switched off] or at any other warm place in your house.
• After 1 hour, the dough will more than double in size, as you can see in the picture.
• Transfer the dough onto to 13X9 baking pan and punch to release the air. Flatten it a bit using your fingers and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
• Flatten the dough completely so that it covers the pan.
• Drizzle some olive oil on top and using your fingers poke the dough all through. This is called dotting the bread. Poke all the way till you fingers touch the pan.
• Cover at keep keep the pan in a warm place for 30-45 minutes for 2nd rising.
• Preheat the oven at 475 F degrees.
• After the dough has risen, drizzle very little olive oil all over again. You can use a brush to spread the oil but careful not to punch down the dough so do it very slowly.
• Sprinkle some sea-salt crystals, this is optional but recommended. Bake the bread at 475 F degrees for 15 minutes till it’s nice golden brown in color.

Topping

• While the bread is in the oven, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium heat.
• Add sliced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, till it becomes translucent.
• Add brown sugar and continue to cook till the onion caramelizes, this will take 15-20 minutes. Be careful to not burn the onion.
• Take focaccia out from the oven, brush some olive oil on top while it’s still warm.
• Top with caramelized onion and roasted pistachios and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 464kcal, Carbohydrates: 65g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 591mg, Potassium: 231mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 30IU, Vitamin C: 2.2mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 1.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

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 Focaccia with Caramelized Onions & Roasted Pistachios