My strawberry plants haven’t produced a single berry even though strawberry season is in full swing. I’ve seen the flowers but when I go back and check a few days later, nothing! Could the rabbit be taking revenge on the strawberries since we fenced in the garden?! Luckily, we’re still getting plenty of strawberries from the store and we are adding them to everything, or at least Kelly & Eric are. On cereal & yogurt & in smoothies for breakfast, for snacks and with lunch and after some diligence, for dinner!
Most of the time when we think of strawberries, we think of using them in sweet things like dessert. But I wanted to make something with strawberries that wasn’t a dessert or a salad. I didn’t think it would be as hard as it was to find such a recipe. When I finally did find one, it turned out to be a winner!
There are instructions at the very end to make the dough by hand if you don’t have a bread maker.
Strawberry Focaccia with Maple-Balsamic Onions (adapted from cookbook author Leah Koenig) SERVES 8
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2½ cups flour
- 1 scant tablespoon of dry yeast
- 4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise into 1/8–inch pieces
- 10-12 fresh basil leaves, sliced chiffonade
- Coarse sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Put the water, salt, 1/4 cup olive oil, honey, flour and yeast into the pan of your bread maker in the order required by the manufacturer. Set the machine up for the dough setting. When the dough is ready, brush a 9×13–inch baking sheet with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Press the dough into the sheet with your fingers until it touches the edges. Gently press indentations into the dough, all over the surface. Brush the dough with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Let the dough rest, lightly covered, until it puffs up slightly, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and caramelized, about 15–20 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup, letting it all cook until the liquid is evaporated, about 2–3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the onions to cool slightly.
We don’t think of onions as sweet but they are once caramelized!
Preheat the oven to 450°. Lightly press the strawberry slices into the top of the dough, then scatter the onions and basil evenly across the top. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top and sprinkle it with some sea salt.
The strawberries, onions & basil go on the dough.
Bake until the focaccia is golden, about 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before cutting the focaccia into pieces. Serve with some fresh goat cheese sprinkled over the top if desired.
WOW!
This is a great, light meal for summertime! ~Linda
Dough by hand: Combine yeast, water and honey in a medium bowl. Let it rest for about 5 minutes, until bubbles form on the top. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and kosher salt then set that aside. Add ¼ cup of olive oil to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine, then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and supple, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl greased with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and the let it rest until the dough approximately doubles in size, about 1 hour. Pick up the recipe at spreading the dough into the baking sheet.
Strawberry Focaccia with Maple-Balsamic Onions (adapted from cookbook author Leah Koenig) SERVES 8
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2½ cups flour
- 1 scant tablespoon of dry yeast
- 4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced lengthwise into 1/8–inch pieces
- 10-12 fresh basil leaves, sliced chiffonade
- Coarse sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Put the water, salt, 1/4 cup olive oil, honey, flour and yeast into the pan of your bread maker in the order required by the manufacturer. Set the machine up for the dough setting. When the dough is ready, brush a 9×13–inch baking sheet with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Press the dough into the sheet with your fingers until it touches the edges. Gently press indentations into the dough, all over the surface. Brush the dough with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Let the dough rest, lightly covered, until it puffs up slightly, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and caramelized, about 15–20 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup, letting it all cook until the liquid is evaporated, about 2–3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the onions to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 450°. Lightly press the strawberry slices into the top of the dough, then scatter the onions and basil evenly across the top. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the top and sprinkle it with some sea salt.
Bake until the focaccia is golden, about 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before cutting the focaccia into pieces. Serve with some fresh goat cheese sprinkled over the top if desired.
Dough by hand: Combine yeast, water and honey in a medium bowl. Let it rest for about 5 minutes, until bubbles form on the top. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and kosher salt then set that aside. Add ¼ cup of olive oil to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine, then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and supple, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl greased with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and the let it rest until the dough approximately doubles in size, about 1 hour. Pick up the recipe at spreading the dough into the baking sheet.