Delicious overnight Caramelized Onion Focaccia baked with sweet caramelized onions, fresh thyme and extra-virgin olive oil. This easy, no-knead focaccia bread is not only super soft and fluffy on the inside, but also has an extra crispy exterior!
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♡ Why You Will Love This Caramelized Onion Focaccia
- Flavor. Allowing the dough to ferment overnight in the fridge helps develop more flavor. Cooking the onions slow and low also deepens the flavors of the caramelized onions, just like my Onion Date Jam.
- Texture. This overnight focaccia has the softest and fluffiest crumb and a crackly and crisp exterior!
- Easy to make. It's a no-knead dough which means it's perfect for any beginner baker. I've included a ton of photos and step-by-step instructions.
- Versatile dough. The great thing about this homemade focaccia recipe is that you can enjoy it plain or with so variety of different toppings.
- Dairy-free. I love butter and cheese, but this caramelized onion focaccia bread proves that you only need a few simple ingredients to make the best bread.
This overnight focaccia bread is a high hydration dough (85%), which means the dough will be too wet to knead like we would a traditional yeast dough. Instead, we'll be perform multiple sets of "stretch and folds."
Stretch and fold is exactly what it sounds like. It's the process of stretching dough and folding it onto itself to develop and strengthen gluten strands. It may sounds a little complicated, but it's really not! Read on to learn more.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about all the ingredients used in this recipe. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!
Overnight Focaccia Dough Ingredients
- Bread Flour - Although you could use all-purpose flour, I do recommend sticking with bread flour as it will add more structure to the focaccia. Anytime you're doing a long ferment, it's best to use a strong, high protein flour to prevent collapsing.
- Yeast - You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast.
- Warm Water - The warm environment will help the yeast grow.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - For best results, use a good quality EVOO as it's a key ingredient which gives focaccia much of its flavor.
- Sugar - Sugar will help feed the yeast and encourage browning as it bakes.
- Salt - Enhances the flavors and helps make the focaccia soft.
Caramelized Onions Ingredients
- Onions - You can dice or thinly slice your onions. White, yellow, red and sweet onions all work in this recipe.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - For best results, use a good quality EVOO.
- Thyme - Adds flavor and works well with caramelized onions. I'm using fresh thyme, but you can also use dried thyme.
- Salt + Pepper - For flavor. The salt will also help draw out the moisture from the onions to help it cook down to a jammy consistency.
- Balsamic Vinegar (optional) - Totally optional, but adding a splash of balsamic adds umami flavor.
- Water (if needed) - As the moisture cooks out of the onions and the pan gets dry, instead of adding more oil, I like to add a splash of water. It helps to deglaze the pan to release all the fond as well.
*See recipe card for quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make this Caramelized Onion Focaccia Bread! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. Combine Dry Ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, mix together bread flour and salt. Set aside.
Step 2. Make Yeast Mixture - In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine together, lukewarm water, yeast (instant or active dry yeast), extra-virgin olive oil and sugar.
Step 4. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture.
Step 5. Combine & Rest - Mix everything together until combined. The dough will be sticky. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to sit on the counter for 20 minutes.
💡 Tip
Whether you are using active dry yeast or instant yeast, you don't need to bloom it. You only need to dissolve it in the warm water, sugar and oil.
Step 6. Stretch & Fold - Perform a total 4 sets of stretch and folds, every 20 minutes. Dip your fingertips into water (everytime) then pick up one side of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold the dough over and onto itself. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold technique with the remaining 3 sides.
Continue Stretching & Folding - Cover the bowl, let the dough rest for 20 minutes, then repeat the process 3 more times, making a total of 4 sets. The dough will become more elastic with each rest.
Step 7. Overnight Ferment - After stretching and folding the dough 4 times, pour a tablespoon of olive oil on top of the dough. Gently pat the oil with your fingertips to cover the whole surface. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours.
💡Tip
Although I recommend an overnight proof, you can bake it the same day too! After you're done stretching and folding 4 times, transfer the dough into your oiled baking tray. Cover and set in a warm place and let double in size. Time will vary depending on the kind of yeast you're using and how warm your kitchen is. About 45 to 1.5 hours. Proceed with toppings, dimpling and bake!
Step 8. Cook Onions - Add olive oil, chopped onions, 4 to 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (or ¾ teaspoon of dry thyme), 1 teaspoon salt and pepper into a large skillet. Cook over medium-low heat until soft and caramelized. About 45 minutes to 1 hour. When you're happy with the cook, turn the heat off and stir in a splash of balsamic vinegar. Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge overnight.
💡 Tip
How to cut onions without crying? To reduce tears, cut your onions in half and peel off the outer layers. Place them into the fridge for at least 15 minutes and then dice away. Let me know if it works for you!
Step 9. Transfer and Proof - When you're ready to bake, coat a 9x13 inch (23x28 cm) metal baking tray with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. If may seem like a lot of oil, but the focaccia will soak it up and this will also help crisp up the bottom and sides.
Remove the dough from the fridge and perform a final stretch and fold, then transfer to your baking tray. Gently stretch it to cover most of the bottom of the pan. Let the dough rise and double in size at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
Step 10. Add Toppings - After the dough doubles in size it will be quite jiggly and have many bubbles. Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top, followed by some fresh thyme and the caramelized onions.
Step 11. Dimple the Dough - Oil your fingertips and dimple the dough. As you're doing this, the dough will create large bubbles. Try not to pop them. Top with a little more olive oil and flaky sea salt if you wish.
Step 12. Bake - Bake in a preheated oven of 425ºF (ºC) for 25 to 30 minutes. After 20 minutes, loosely tent the top of the focaccia with foil to prevent the onions from getting too browned.
Step 13. Cool & Serve - As soon as it comes out of the oven, let it sit in the tray for a few minutes then transfer the focaccia onto a wire rack to cool. This will prevent the bottom from getting soggy. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Substitutions
- Bread Flour - If you don't have any bread flour on hand, you can substitute with all-purpose flour.
- Yeast - You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast.
- White Sugar - You can sub with brown sugar, honey or agave.
- Onions - You can use white onions, yellow onions, red onions or sweet onions.
- Fresh Thyme - Feel free to use dried thyme. You can try other herbs like fresh rosemary, sage or oregano.
Variations
- Add Cheese - Parmesan cheese, gruyere cheese, gouda, cheddar, mozzarella would all work well with caramelized onions.
- Add Meat - For more savory flavor, add crumbled bacon, pancetta, sausage or ham.
- Half & Half - You can try two different topping combinations on one focaccia. You can even divide the dough and bake in 2 smaller baking pans with different toppings.
Key Equipment
🍞 For the Dough
- Kitchen Scale
- Bowls
- Large Spoon or Spatula
- 9x13 Inch Metal Baking Pan - Make sure you're using a metal pan for even cooking and to help get that crispy texture.
🧅 For the Caramelized Onions
- Large Pan - I love using my 12-inch cast iron pan to make caramelized onions.
- Wooden Spoon or Spatula
Storage
- Room Temperature - Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator - Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezer - Once completely cooled, cut into small pieces and place in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheating tips are in the FAQ section below.
💡Expert Tips
Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. Baking in grams rather than in volume is the best and most accurate way to bake! All my recipes include gram conversions based on King Arthur’s Weight Chart.
Plan ahead. Although making focaccia is extremely easy, it does take some time. On day 1, preparing the dough will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Then the dough will proof in the fridge for at least 12 hours. On day 2, the focaccia bread will need proof at room temperature for 2 hours before baking. The onions can be made up to 5 days in advance.
Don't skip the overnight ferment. During my testing, I did find that the dough had more flavor when it had time to proof in the fridge, compared to when it was baked the same day.
During the stretch and fold, wet your fingertips. This high hydration dough is extremely sticky, so you'll need to wet your fingers as you're stretching the dough.
Bake in a metal pan. For a crispy exterior, always bake in a metal pan.
Tent with foil. After 20 minutes, loosely tent the top of the focaccia with foil to prevent the onions from burning. Tenting will allow you to bake longer so we can have a super crispy crust.
FAQ
From the fridge, wrap in foil and reheat in a preheated oven of 350ºF (176ºC) for about 10 minutes. From the freezer, wrap in foil and reheat in a preheated oven of 350ºF (176ºC) for 20 minutes.
Please note, the timing is based on reheating small squares of focaccia, so the timing can vary for you. If you're freezing the focaccia whole, it will take much longer, so I would suggest cutting into smaller pieces before freezing.
Yes, you can easily halve the recipe and bake it in an 8 or 9-inch (20 to 23 cm) baking pan or cast iron pan.
Hydration refers to the ratio of water and flour used in a recipe. You can calculate by dividing the weight of the water to the weight of the flour, then multiply by 100. For instance, my recipe calls for 412 grams of water and 480 grams of flour. 412 ÷ 480 = .85833333 x 100 = 85%
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📖 Recipe
Caramelized Onion Focaccia
- Total Time: 4 Hours 30 Mins + Overnight
Description
Delicious overnight Caramelized Onion Focaccia baked with sweet caramelized onions, fresh thyme and extra-virgin olive oil. This easy, no-knead focaccia is not only super soft and fluffy on the inside, but also has an extra crispy exterior!
Ingredients
Overnight Focaccia Dough
- 4 Cups (480g) Bread Flour (Strong Flour)
- 1 Teaspoon Fine Salt
- 1 ¾ Cups + 1 Tablespoon (412g) Warm Water, about 105ºF (40ºC)
- 3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 ½ Teaspoons (5g) Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast
Caramelized Onions
- 3 Onions (white, yellow, red or sweet onions), diced or sliced
- 3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 to 5 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme or ¾ Teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 Teaspoon of Fine Salt (or to taste)
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper (or to taste)
- 1 to 2 Teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar (optional)
- Water if Needed
Additional Topping
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (for the pan + the top of the focaccia)
- Fresh Thyme
- Flaky Sea Salt
Instructions
Make Focaccia Dough
- Combine Dry Ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, mix together bread flour and salt. Set aside.
- Make Yeast Mixture - In a measuring cup or bowl, combine together, warm water, yeast (instant or active dry yeast), extra-virgin olive oil and sugar.
- Combine & Rest Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and mix until combined. The dough will be very sticky. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to sit on the counter for 20 minutes.
- Stretch & Fold - Perform a total 4 sets of stretch and folds, every 20 minutes. Dip your fingertips into water (everytime) then pick up one side of the dough, stretch it upwards and then fold the dough over and onto itself. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold technique with the remaining 3 sides. Please see photos in the body of the post as reference. Cover the bowl, let rest for 20 minutes and then repeat the process 3 more times, making a total of 4 times. The dough will become more elastic with each rest.
- Overnight Ferment - After stretching and folding the dough 4 times, pour a tablespoon of olive oil on top of the dough. Gently pat the oil with your fingertips to cover the whole surface. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 12 to 48 hours.
Make Caramelized Onions
- Cook Onions - Add olive oil, chopped onions, 4 to 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (or ¾ teaspoon of dry thyme), salt and pepper into a large skillet. Stirring occasionally, cook the onions over medium/low heat until soft and caramelized. It will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. When you're happy with the cook, turn the heat off and stir in a splash of balsamic vinegar. Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge overnight. See note below.
Assembly
- Transfer and Proof - When you're ready to bake, coat a 9x13 inch (23x28 cm) metal baking tray with 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. If may seem like a lot of oil, but the focaccia will soak it up and this will also help crisp up the bottom and sides.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and perform a final stretch and fold, then transfer to your baking tray. Gently stretch it to cover most of the bottom of the pan. It's okay if the dough contracts as you're doing this because it's cold. The dough will eventually fill out in the pan as it proofs. Let the dough double in size at room temperature for 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Preheat Oven - With 20 minutes left of proofing, positions a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 425ºF (218ºC).
- Add Toppings - After the dough doubles in size it should be very jiggly and have many bubbles. Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top, followed by some fresh thyme and the caramelized onions.
- Dimple the Dough - Now the fun part! Oil your fingertips and then dimple the dough. As you're doing this, the dough will create large bubbles. Try not to pop them. If you wish, you can top with a little more olive oil and flaky sea salt.
- Bake - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. After 20 minutes, loosely tent the top of the focaccia with foil to prevent the top from burning. It's ready when the top and edges are golden brown.
- Cool & Serve - As soon as it comes out of the oven, let it sit in the tray for a minute or two and then transfer the focaccia onto a wire rack to cool. This will prevent the bottom from getting soggy. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Yeast - Whether you are using active dry yeast or instant yeast, you don't need to bloom it. You only need to dissolve it in warm water, sugar and oil.
Cooking Onions - Towards the end of the cooking process, the moisture from the onions will eventually evaporate. As this happens, the pan can be dry, so turn the heat down to low and add a splash of water to the pan. This will help prevent the onions from burning. If needed, you can add a bit more throughout the process.
Baking Focaccia the Same Day - Although I recommend an overnight proof, you can bake it the same day too! After you're done stretching and folding 4 times, transfer the dough into your oiled baking tray. Cover and set in a warm place and let double in size. Time will vary depending on the kind of yeast you're using and how warm your kitchen is. About 45 to 1.5 hours. Proceed with toppings, dimpling and bake!
Storage - Please see storage notes in the body of the post.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Chill/Proof Time: 12 Hrs + 2 Hrs
- Cook Time: 25 to 30 Minutes
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