Whoever told you baking bread at home was easy kind of lied to you! There, we said it. Bread baking is not a simple task. If it were easy, every single home baker across the world would be baking their own wonderful, crispy crusted bread with soft and moist centers every single day.
After all, we live in the age of convenience. Buying a loaf of a freshly baked baguette, ciabatta, whole grain or a chocolate croissant at the grocery store or bakery is accessible to so many of us. But when you have a little extra time, there is no greater satisfaction than working with your own dough and enjoying the rewards of the hard work you reaped on your kitchen counter.
Breaking Bread Society was created to inspire you to bake more bread in your kitchen. We want you to bake along with us every month and break bread with your family and friends. We want to spark a bread baking passion across the nation and the world around. We know it’s not an easy task and we are here to help you along the way.
Each of our founders has a different background, complementing each other in various ways:
of Cake Duchess, the Italian baker of the group. I’ve been told I have a way with traditional and classic
Italian breads like no other. As a young girl, I got bit with the baking bug
making my first pizzas and breads with my family at our pizzeria and later at our family restaurant. Married to an Italian executive chef, my baking
repertoire has grown baking alongside my husband, mother-in-law and
grandmother-in-law. You can find my Cornmeal Peasant Boule featured
on Fine Cooking’s Best of the Blogs. I’m passionate about bread baking and I am excited to learn alongside my #breakingbread bakers.
of Food Wanderings, with a couple decades of baking with yeast experience and
expertise, is known for her recipe development, food writing and Mediterranean
and Indian cooking classes. Born to Bombay born and raised Indian parents, she
comes to us from Israel by way of a DC suburb. Her food and culture writings,
recipes and food photography have been showcased in nationally and
internationally acclaimed publications. You can find her step by step quince
stuffed challah rolls published in The Washington Post.
but not least, Marnely of Cooking with Books, our professionally trained baker
comes to us from the Caribbean island of Dominican Republic and has studied at
the world-renowned Culinary Institute of America. Her baking is best known to
be spontaneous and influenced by tropical flavors. She currently lives with her
husband on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, where she works as a pastry chef in
a private golf club, as well as develops recipes for national food brands. You
can find her writing for Marcus Samuelsson and Honest Cooking.
unites us three bakers and all of you? The love of bread and a dear &
growing friendship in the Breaking Bread Society! We love baking bread
because people love eating real bread; delectable bread steaming hot right out
of the oven. We love the discovery of a new recipe and learning new techniques
about a bread recipe we may have not tried before. We are here to discover new
flavors, new textures, and new ways to experience bread at the table with our
friends and family, and most importantly, WITH YOU!
you bake along with us every month or just once, we want to inspire you to love
baking your own bread one loaf at a time. We encourage you to make the recipe
your own. Check out Marnely of Cooking with Books and Shulie from Food Wanderings recipe ideas for inspiration. Be
creative and add your own toppings or bake it as we did. Read all about
our Breaking Bread Society adventures and let’s unite in #breakingbread
together:
Bake this month’s bread and post it on your blog with #BreakingBread in the
title of the post by June 1st:
- Include a link back to the
current #BreakingBread hostess’ blog (that is me!) - Link your post to the linky
tool below. It must be a focaccia baked in May 2012 and if you use this recipe, it must include in
the recipe: Copyright (c) Nick Malgieri 1995, All Rights Reserved - We would love to connect with
you on Twitter; Tweet us at @Breaking_Bread and tag it
#BreakingBread!
When I made this focaccia below, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. It was one of the last ones I made. The dough seemed a little more wet than the other batches were. I could barely dimple the dough and I have to say, it was the best out of all them. The crust was crispy and the crumb was soft perfection. Sometimes when you expect a baking failure you may get pleasantly surprised. Never give up on your dough.;)
*If you really want to make this and don’t have the time to wait for the dough to rise, you could make the dough and leave it in the refrigerator over night (or place in the refrigerator in the morning and take out to bake at the end of the day). When you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and press into your oiled or parchment lined pan and let it rise before baking it.
*As mentioned in earlier in the post, you could use your own favorite focaccia recipe if you prefer. We just would love you to bake along with us!;)
Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Focaccia
adapted from: How to Bake by Nick Malgieri
Copyright (c) Nick Malgieri 1995, All Rights Reserved
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups warm tap water (about 110 degrees)
2 1/2 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons sea salt
Topping:
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
caramelized onion
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced diagonally
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
1-3 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
for caramelizing onion:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 large onion
one 101/2 x 151/2-inch jelly roll an or a 14-inch round pan (for my round one, I used a 9-inch cake pan and it was very fluffy. The kids loved it!)
In a small bowl, add the water and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil and whisk together. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, add the flour and 3 teaspoons of salt; whisk together or mix together on low speed in your mixer.
Add the yeast mixture and about half of the flour mixture. Stir with a rubber spatula until it is combined. Attach the dough hook to your mixer and add the remaining flour. Mix on low speed for about three minutes. If the dough seems to be too dry, add warm water a teaspoon at a time until you obtain a softer dough.
This is how my dough looked. It is a dough that is elastic and a little moist.
Form the dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl (when I put the dough in the bowl I swish the dough around the bottom of the bowl and then flip it over so all of the dough is covered in a light film of oil). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about 1-1 1/2 hours).
While the dough is rising, caramelize the onion if using it for topping.
Caramelize onion:
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive- oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions to the skillet and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over it. Stir occasionally and cook until tender (takes about 10-15 minutes
until golden).
This was my dough after 1 hour.
Place the dough on a parchment lined pan. Pat and press the dough gently until the dough fills the pan completely. If the dough resists, let it rest for a few minutes before continuing (sometimes the dough can be moody). Cover the dough with a piece of plastic wrap and let it rise again until doubled in size (about 40-60 minutes).
Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 F.
When the dough has doubled in size, remove the plastic wrap. Dimple the surface of the risen focaccia using your fingertips.
Brush on the remaining olive oil to the surface of the dough. Sprinkle on the sea salt (add the amount of salt you prefer. We like it a little saltier. You could even add on crushed black pepper if you’d like) and press the cherry tomatoes gently into the dough. Sprinkle on the chopped rosemary.
Bake the focaccia for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Lift the focaccia from the pan with the parchment paper edges onto a cutting board. You’re supposed to let it cool a little on a rack before serving. That never happens over here. Cut and serve.
Happy Focaccia Baking! Buon appetito!
Shulie says
May 2, 2012 at 4:21 pmLora, Super excited #breakingbread with you and Marnley. Your focaccia looks incredible you are the master of focaccia. Your dough rose unbelievably. Just a feast of a post.
El says
May 2, 2012 at 5:12 pmI'll have a piece of both please. Congrats on your bread society. It's a wonderful idea. My husband bakes the bread in our house but I'll definitely be on the lookout for good recipes!
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:06 amHi El-Thank you:)
Alessandra says
May 2, 2012 at 5:19 pmLooks beautiful, one of my favourite breads.
ophelia1983 says
May 2, 2012 at 5:42 pmoh, my god! looks great!
Maggie says
May 2, 2012 at 6:13 pmWhat a wonderful idea!! I LOVE baking bread and try to convince people all the time that they can do it too! Way to inspire people! I love the topping on the focaccia, I hope I can find the time to link up! This looks delicious!
Paula says
May 2, 2012 at 6:36 pmWhat a great idea! I'm looking forward to all the wonderful loaves that are going to be created with this group. No wonder the neighbour's kid will bike over anytime for a piece of this focaccia!
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:07 amThanks so much, Paula. I think we'll have some bread baking fun for sure;)
kankana says
May 2, 2012 at 6:43 pmI am in and I hope I can share something nice by the end of the month 🙂 This will be fun for me as I don't bake much.
RavieNomNoms says
May 2, 2012 at 7:10 pmThis is the second recipe for foccacia that I have seen today. I am SO craving it now!
Kiri W. says
May 2, 2012 at 7:47 pmOh, I may be dying a little! 🙂 these look so glorious, I don't even know which I want more!
S.V. says
May 2, 2012 at 8:02 pmThis looks so good. I don't bake bread I always mess it up no matter how easy it is. Something about yeast doesn't mix well with me. I would die if I made a bread that turned out this fantastic.
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:10 amYou could always email me with any ?'s. I would love to help you get to an amazing focaccia;)
bunkycooks says
May 2, 2012 at 8:13 pmI love this idea! You have inspired me to bake more bread, so I will plan to join in this month. I still need to come and visit you to taste some of your creations. Must do that soon! xoxo
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:13 amYou have a few weeks to bake one and link up, Gwen. 🙂
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
May 2, 2012 at 8:30 pmthe last one looks SO good. Your sons friend and neighbor cracked me up.
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:12 amthanks, Rachel. I know…they are really so funny and honest. Gotta love it:)
Jamie says
May 2, 2012 at 8:36 pmGor-geous! Beautiful dough and beautiful bread! I absolutely love making pizza and focaccia dough and I love both the cherry tomato and caramelized onion toppings. I'm in!
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:12 amI know you baked something this weekend and can't wait to see your link, sweet lady. xx
A Thought For Food says
May 2, 2012 at 10:04 pmSuch a fun project to work on together! I may have to contribute to this myself.
I am in the land of focaccia (still haven't had any, though) and it makes me so very happy! Love this version with caramelized onion and cherry tomato.
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:08 amI hope you get inspired to bake some after being in Italy, Brian;)
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
May 2, 2012 at 10:26 pmThat homemade focaccia sounds amazing! I've never made my own but I bet it is even better than the bakery versions I've bought.
Lizzy says
May 2, 2012 at 11:54 pmYou do have a knack with yeast breads…and these beauties prove it again!!! What a wonderful group…it's a crazy month here with Nick graduating, but I may try to bake along, too 🙂
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:08 amI know you can find the time, Lizzy, because you are amazing;)
Chloe@EveryCraving says
May 3, 2012 at 1:03 amI love making homemade bread. It taste so much better than store bought! This looks absolutely divine. The flavor combos are spot on 🙂
Terra says
May 3, 2012 at 2:37 amOh how fun, love the idea of baking bread with a fun group of bloggers:-) Your focaccia bread looks soooooo good!!! I adore making focaccia bread, I need to join in this month for sure:-) Hugs, Terra
Reem | Simply Reem says
May 3, 2012 at 2:52 amWhat a fun idea…
You have totally inspired me to get up and bake some bread.. It has been long time..
This looks fabulous!!
Elin says
May 3, 2012 at 4:01 amGosh, this looks delicious and mouth-watering too ! You have just given me an idea to make caramelized onions and tomato focaccia for the weekend ! Thanks Lora for this recipe 🙂 Have a nice day,
Elin
Baker Street says
May 3, 2012 at 4:59 amI love the addition of caramelized onions in my focaccia! Your bread looks just stunning Lora! Great start to the series. 🙂
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:09 amI love them, too (a little too much;). Thank you so much, An:)
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef says
May 3, 2012 at 7:48 amI think I need to try this one. I bake bread all the time and ANYTHING with caramelized onions is my friend. 🙂
I'll try to do mine tomorrow afternoon.
Lisa says
May 3, 2012 at 8:14 amWhen I opened the page to this focaccia, I was awed by how beautiful it is – your photos are stunning! When I make focaccia, which hasn't been in a while, I add caramelized onions 98% of the time..love them! Love the cherry tomatoes too. I want to tear off a huge piece right now! xo Great idea to form a bread baking society!
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:09 amI'm so happy you love it, Lisa. I could eat it just with the caramelized onions…every single day;)
Katherine Martinelli says
May 3, 2012 at 11:15 amI love this new series and will definitely be taking part! Your focaccia is stunning and I really love the flavor combination.
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:05 amI hope you do, Katherine. Thanks for passing by:)
Rachel Cooks (formerly Not Rachael Ray) says
May 3, 2012 at 12:24 pmFun series and this bread looks amazing!
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
May 3, 2012 at 10:45 pmThis is a great idea and will take part for sure! Thanks to all three for coming up with this.
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:06 amThanks, Paula. I hope to see one of your recipes linked here:)Happy bread baking!
Sue says
May 4, 2012 at 4:38 amMmmm, This would have been perfect for my dinner:)
Lael Hazan @educatedpalate says
May 4, 2012 at 2:15 pmI adore focaccia and love your photos and the idea for the bread baking society. As you may know, Giuliano is a "top of the stove" kinda chef; however, I've some wonderful notes from watching the Sorelle Simili bake. It is time to get inspired!
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:04 amI know Giuliano could do this with you and the girls. It's a great recipe to follow and just delicious. 😉
Jean (Lemons and Anchovies) says
May 4, 2012 at 6:05 pmWhat a talented trio of bakers–I'm a fan of you all. 🙂
This is the second focaccia I've seen this week–I really must try to make my own. I can almost smell the caramelized onions, yum!
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:03 amThank you so much, Jean:) I hope you try one out. 🙂
Dionne Baldwin says
May 5, 2012 at 8:39 amI would love to bake along. 🙂 I have to admit when I first tried baking bread I did feel lied to. My rolls and bread were hard as stones and water would not even soften them! I figured out a few basics and ever since it's just flowed…
Your foccacia looks delicious. I would love some right now with some (coffee)! I'll have to think of a modification to try!
Savoring Italy says
May 6, 2012 at 3:02 amI hope you try this recipe, Dionne. I can't wait to see your spin on it:)I know it will be wonderful.
DivyaGCP says
May 6, 2012 at 8:47 pmHave been thinking to bake foccacia for a long time. Would love to participate in this bake along. Love both caramelised onion and cherry tomato toppings.
Happy to be your 500th follower.. 🙂
Divya's Culinary Journey
simple baking says
May 7, 2012 at 9:12 amThe focaccia recipe is a keeper. Love the caramalised onions version :D.
Thanx for coming up with this bakealong.
Elisabeth says
May 8, 2012 at 2:08 amHi Lora-Finally linked up with my Whole Wheat Focaccia! So glad I made it; didn't realize how delicious it could be! Loved your sweet raisin focaccia, as well:D
xoxo
Swathi Iyer says
May 8, 2012 at 3:14 amLora, I came through Elisabeth's blog. Love to bake focaccia
Savoring Italy says
May 9, 2012 at 1:15 amHi Swathi-Welcome and thanks for visiting. Bake along with us and send your link here:)
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
May 8, 2012 at 6:30 amI simply love focaccia…guess I need to make some at which point I will the eat the entire thing. And blame it all on you and your cohorts. 🙂
Junia says
May 8, 2012 at 6:33 pmi am inspired to make some bread now!!! i can't think of better hosts for this bloghop!!! have you ever tried making a gluten free focaccia before?
Savoring Italy says
May 9, 2012 at 1:14 amThanks, Junia:)I haven't. I hope you do make one so we can see how you did it:)
kitchen flavours says
May 9, 2012 at 7:03 amSounds fun! I've baked one of NM's foccacia last month which was incredibly delicious! Will try to make another one, I'm craving for it again!
Savoring Italy says
May 10, 2012 at 1:23 amGreat! Link up your post with us:)Happy focaccia baking!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
May 18, 2012 at 9:13 pmI love caramelized onions, what a perfect focaccia topper!
Nina says
May 19, 2012 at 3:44 amI love this idea…wud love to participate. Just baked and posted a Savory Focaccia,didnt know about this event….will try and bake again to participate:).Happy baking:)
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
May 19, 2012 at 5:48 pmLora, I´ve tried to link my post but turns out the pictures are too big, so now I´m trying to figure that out. Technology and I are not big friends but I´m hoping to get it done today!
Savoring Italy says
May 21, 2012 at 12:54 pmHi Paula-I could try to link up the post for you if you'd like. Email me and let me know:)
Chi Chi Cakes says
May 21, 2012 at 11:25 pmI definitely want to be a part of this adventure! Gonna do this with my daughter. It is going to be great.
Anonymous says
May 22, 2012 at 3:46 amIt was an amazing feeling baking foccacia at home, the aroma filled the entire house 🙂 I would have picked the caramelized onion and rosemary foccacia to munch on. The cherry tomato image looks gorgeous though!
Savoring Italy says
May 29, 2012 at 7:23 pmI agree, Bindiya. It's a wonderful feeling to bake any bread at home. Thank you very much:)Happy baking to you:)
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen says
May 27, 2012 at 6:47 pmFocaccia bread is so amazing and I'm wishing I was your neighbor to try all of the different varieties! So glad I made focaccia this week too. I just learned about breaking bread and I'm very excited to cook with you all! Thanks for hosting!
Savoring Italy says
May 29, 2012 at 7:22 pmLove your whole wheat focaccia, Milisa. So happy you joined us and linked up:)Happy baking! xx
Winnie says
May 29, 2012 at 2:28 pmThank you so much for the invite! I'm happy to get to know your group 🙂
Your fuccacia looks soooooooo good – I'd love to try it.
Savoring Italy says
May 29, 2012 at 7:19 pmLove your sweet potato focaccia idea, Winnie. It looks delicious:)Thanks for baking along with us:)
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
May 29, 2012 at 7:16 pmNext time I'm making this…I might bemoan our tomatoes here but cherry tomatoes are the exception so I can't wait.
Or maybe I'll do caramelized onions or maybe both or maybe I'll just eat a tray of focaccia every day for a month. I could do that. :0
Savoring Italy says
May 29, 2012 at 7:20 pmWhy not!?! That's what I've done:)And I have to try every entry, right?;)Thanks for baking with us, Barb. Your focaccia is lovely:)
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
May 30, 2012 at 4:53 amHow fun! I love how your focaccia sounds and looks. Pinning it to remind me to try it!! I'd love to join you guys some month for the bread baking. I love to bake my own bread!
Lisa says
May 31, 2012 at 10:00 pmI raced home to finish writing the post for my focaccia. Made it in the nick of time lol Loved joining you and everyone in baking focaccia! xo
Natalija says
June 1, 2012 at 3:04 amWorking on my post – baked 2 savory focaccias and 1 sweet.
Natalija says
June 1, 2012 at 7:43 amPost is now complete. I can't wait for the next challenge!
Savoring Italy says
June 1, 2012 at 10:20 amWonderful, Natalija. Go ahead and link your post today. It's the last day to link;)
Natalija says
June 1, 2012 at 4:41 pmLora, is there a way to resubmit the Linky photo? It didn't go through.
Awesome Amy says
September 12, 2012 at 1:54 pmI make a no knead recipe from America's Test Kitchen – it always turns out delicious! I might try adding cherry tomatoes next time with seasonings. Or maybe use one of the linkys to make spicy focaccia!
A Blog About Nothing – Focaccia Bread