How to Cook Eggplant Rosemary Focaccia Bread
Turned out to be quite good…a little tough on the edges…but what a yummy combination of flavors!
Get your ingredients ready.
Thinly slice the eggplant.
Sprinkle with salt to draw out bitter juices. Then rinse and pat dry.
Chop the rosemary and crush the garlic.
You’ll use the garlic to rub the dough bowl, then chop it up for the dough.
Caramelize the onions with olive oil and sugar.
How to Prepare Foccacia Bread Dough
Mix the dry ingreidents.
Activate the yeast.
Stream in the olive oil.
Mix in the activated yeast and water.
Kneed with dough hook or wooden spoon and elbow grease.
Rub the garlic on the inside of the bowl. Place olive oil in base of bowl.
Place the dough ball into the bowl. Cover and let rise.
Once risen, fold in the chopped rosemary.
Chop the garlic and mix that into the dough as well.
Pull the dough and knead and stretch it out.
Do not not not not roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
Prick the dough.
With anything you have that would work.
Don’t have a gadget, use your fingertips!
Place the sliced eggplant and caramelized onions on top.
Brush olive oil on top.
Bake.
Enjoy!
Eggplant Rosemary Focaccia Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup warm water not hot water
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 5 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup more water streamed into dough
- 1/2 small white onion sliced into circles
- 1 tsp olive oil for onions
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 eggplant thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 garlic clove
- salt for sprinkling
- olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- Dough
- Place the warm water in a bowl and stir in the yeast. A tablespoon of yeast from the jar, if you don't do the packets. Let sit while you get the flour going and get out the other ingredients, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Place the flour and salt into a stand mixer or bowl where you will make the dough.
- Toss the flour and salt together, then stream in the olive oil.
- Pour in the yeast and water and let the dough hook works its magic. Stream in some more warm water (I did about 3/4 cups), until dough ball forms. Let knead for about 10 minutes.
- Don't have a stand mixer and dough hook. Use a wooden spoon and then knead the dough yourself...and get a nice forearm workout in the process. Dough ball will form...keep kneading until smooth.
- Meanwhile, wash the rosemary and the eggplant. Pat dry.
- Thinly slice the eggplant. Then place into a strainer.
- Sprinkle the eggplant pieces with salt and set in the kitchen sink. The salt will draw out the bitter eggplant juices and they can drain into the sink.
- While the eggplant is draining and the dough is kneading, slice the onions. Caramelize them.
- Place the olive oil and sugar into a small skillet. Let the oil and sugar heat up, then toss in the onion slices. Cook on high until they look like this...then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Once cooked, chop up the caramelized onions and set aside.
- Chop the rosemary leaves, peel the garlic and mash it with side of knife. Rub the garlic along the inside of the bowls that will hold your dough, as it rises. Add a little olive oil to the bowl to prevent sticking. Then mince the garlic to add to the dough after it rises.
- Add smooth dough. Cover and let rise about an hour.
- Once risen, add the chopped rosemary and minced garlic to the risen dough. Work the spices into the dough and then begins kneading the dough and stretching it out. Let gravity help you stretch the dough out. Do NOT ROLL OUT focaccia dough. I repeat. Do NOT ROLL OUT focaccia dough!
- Pull and knead the dough and place on a greased baking sheet.
- Dimple option #1. Use your fingers to dig holds in the bread. Dimple option #2. Use a pasta server to dig holes into the dough. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 as the dough is rising again.
- Once risen again...add the sliced eggplants, the chopped caramelized onions, some kosher salt and some drizzles of olive oil.
- Brush the olive oil around.
- Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from oven, slice with pizza cutter. And devour!