Edibles currently exist as a very niche and narrow corner of society’s party grazing table. The most “magical” addition to a dinner event typically gets sequestered to being a minute tower of brownies that get ignored by the sweet-averse. The need for a visually gorgeous crowd pleaser is met with this fig jam focaccia. Stuffed with creamy goat cheese, plush caramelized onions, and tied together with the sweet balance of fig jam, this bread will solidify the edible’s rightful place as part of “high” end cuisine.
Fig Jam Focaccia w/ Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onions:
- Prep Time: 3.5 hours
- Servings: 16+
- Infused Base: magical olive oil
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups warm water, 105° to 115°F
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 (¼-ounce) package active dry yeast, 2¼ tsp
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt salt
- 6 TBSP magical olive oil, plus more for your hands
- Flaky sea salt, optional, for sprinkling
- ¾ cup fig jam
- 1 ½ cups caramelized onions
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 medium yellow onions, halved and sliced
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup goat cheese, portioned into small pieces
METHOD:
Caramelized Onions:
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until starting to soften.
- Add the salt, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 50 to 80 minutes, stirring every few minutes, or until the onions are very soft, golden brown, and caramelized. The timing will depend on the size of your onions and the heat of your stove.
Focaccia:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, whisk the water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and whisk again. Set aside for 5 minutes, until the yeast is foamy. If the yeast doesn’t foam, discard the mixture and retry with new yeast.
- Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes. The dough should become more elastic and pull away from the bowl.
- Brush another large bowl with 2 TBSP of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the new bowl, using a spatula to scrape it out of the mixing bowl. Use your fingers to lightly brush any oil that’s pooling at the edges of the dough over its surface. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside until the dough has doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
- Brush a 9×13-inch baking dish with another 2 TBSP of olive oil. Uncover the dough and rub your hands with olive oil. Slide your hand under one edge of the dough and fold it into itself. Continue working your way around the edge of the bowl, folding the dough into itself, until you have a rough ball that you can lift from the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and turn to coat in the oil. Press the dough to the pan’s edges. Cover the pan with a damp towel and set aside to rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. 30 minutes into this rise, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Uncover and drizzle the remaining 2 TBSP of olive oil over the dough. Evenly spread fig jam, crumbled goat cheese, and caramelized onions over dough. Rub your hands with olive oil, then use your fingers to make indentations across the surface of the dough, pressing through the dough to the pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
