Focaccia Bread

The bread turned out not too badly. We had it for dinner, with meatloaf, turnips, cheese, olives.. much like a ploughman's lunch.

Onion Rosemary Focaccia Bread

This quick-to-bake flat bread is tastily topped with sautéed red onions.
Preparation time: 20 minutes plus rising time.
Cooking: 18 – 20 minutes
Makes: 1 loaf
Ingredients:
¾ cup lukewarm (not hot) water
1 tsp instant yeast
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus some for the table and kneading
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
¼ tsp of salt
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus some for the bowl
1 medium red onion, halved and very thinly sliced
1 large egg yolk beaten
coarse sea salt to taste (optional)

Place the water yeast and sugar in a medium bowl and stir to combine.

Combine the flour, ¼ tsp salt and rosemary in a second medium bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until the dough loosely clumps together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and then cover and place in a warm, draft-free place.
Let the dough rise and double in size, about 60 minutes. While the dough rises, place the 1 tbsp oil in a skillet set over medium heat.Add onion and sauté until very tender.. about 5 or 6 minutes. Cool the onions to room temperature.
When the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set the dough on the baking sheet. Press and stretch the dough into a thin, oblong abut 10 inches long and 9 inches wide. Brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg yolk. Top the focaccia with the onions and sprinkle with sea salt, if using.
Bake the bread for 18 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

What does this have to do with gardening? Well, the 2 teaspoons of fresh, chopped rosemary came out of my garden. It was pouring rain, but I went out and clipped the ends off the tiny Rosemary. Now the plant should be bushy and nice. This is last spring's new transplant of a rosemary. The old one had gone all stringy and ugly due to neglect. The little herb bed is just at the edge of the vegetable garden. No need to step off the path to clip.