Pickled Onion Focaccia
Make your own quick pickled onions for this delicious bread
Makes enough for: 1 Focaccia
Ingredients
for the quick pickled red onions
- 125 mls water
- 30 mls apple cider vinegar
- 2.5 mls fructose
- 0.625 mls fine salt
- ½ red onion, peeled, and thinly sliced
for the dough
- 500 g bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 8 g instant dried yeast
- 375 mls water
- 13 g smoked salt, plus extra for baking
- canola oil for proving
- olive oil for drizzling
Method
for the quick pickled red onions
- Place the water, vinegar, fructose and salt into a small pot
- Bring to the boil over a high temperature
- Add the onions, boil for 10 seconds then remove from the heat
- Pour the onions and pickling liquid into a metal bowl and set aside to cool
for the dough
- Place the flour, yeast and water into a stand mixer
- Using the dough hook attachment, mix for 3 minutes on a slow speed
- Increase the speed to medium and beat for 6 minutes
- Add the salt and beat for a further 2 minutes
- Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover
- Leave to prove, doing 10 pinch and folds every 45 minutes, until doubled in size *
- Preheat the oven to 220° Celsius and if you have a baking stone, place it in the oven
- Lightly dust your work surface with flour, turn out the dough, cover with a damp cloth and leave for 15 minutes
- Without knocking back the dough, stretch to fit into a rectangular baking tin
- Place the dough onto your baking tin that has been sprayed with baking spray, making sure it fits into the corners
- Cover and leave to prove for 15 minutes
- Use your fingertips to create dimples in the dough, and lightly drizzle with olive oil
- Drain the pickled onions and place the onions over the top of the dough
- Sprinkle smoked salt over the top and leave to prove for 10 minutes
- Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, making sure that the dough has cooked properly on the bottom before removing from the oven
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then serve warm
Notes
* if you find that your dough has not doubled in size during the course of a day (which is what happens here in winter) you can place it into the fridge overnight and continue proving the next day. Leave to come to room temperature for an hour before continuing with the pinch and folds.