The focaccia with Golden apples and onions is a soft savory leavened bread with an autumn flavor, enriched with melting brie and some walnuts for a crunchy touch.
I used Golden Delicious apples from Val Venosta, which are winter apples as they are harvested between September and October, but they are enjoyed throughout the year. It is perhaps one of the most known and appreciated apple varieties in the world. With its sweet taste and yellow color with the typical red cheek, it conquers both adults and children.
And since it is not only great in strudel, I made this tasty focaccia, different from the usual, with a combination of different flavors that harmonize perfectly!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 1 baking sheet
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 3/4 cups water (lukewarm)
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 7 oz brie
- 1 Golden Delicious apple
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 red onion
- to taste thyme
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 8 walnut halves
- to taste rosemary
- to taste extra virgin olive oil (for the baking sheet)
- to taste semolina (coarse, for the baking sheet)
Steps
To prepare focaccia with Golden Delicious apples and onions, put the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, dry yeast, and sugar in a bowl and mix. Pour in the lukewarm water and start mixing with a spoon or your hands. Add the salt and the extra virgin olive oil and mix with the spoon or your hands until you get a uniform, rather soft, and sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.
After the first hour of rest, with damp hands, make some folds in the dough without removing it from the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for another hour. Then give another round of folds to the dough, still with damp or oiled hands, so the dough won’t stick to your fingers. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another hour.
After the third hour of rest, grease your baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle it with semolina. Transfer the dough into the baking sheet, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and with oiled hands, gently spread it out by pressing with your fingertips from the center outward until the dough covers the entire baking sheet. Let rise covered for another hour.
In the meantime, prepare the topping.
Cut the brie into slices and set aside. Wash the Golden Delicious apple, cut it in half, remove the core, slice it into 1/8-inch thick slices, and put in a bowl.
Peel the garlic and the onion, slice them finely, and add them to the apple slices. Add thyme leaves and to taste, salt and extra virgin olive oil, and mix everything.
Preheat the oven to 445°F (static).
Top the dough with the brie slices and the apple and onion mix. Coarsely break the walnut halves and distribute them over the whole focaccia. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and bake at 445°F for about 20 minutes.
Remove your focaccia with apples and onions from the oven, garnish with a few sprigs of rosemary, and serve hot or warm, sliced.
