Focaccia Variations: Beyond the Classic

Once you have the basic focaccia technique down (high hydration, olive oil bath, dimple, high heat), the variations are limited only by imagination. Here are the ones I've developed that work reliably.

Caramelized onion and anchovy: essentially pissaladière but in focaccia format. The onions take an hour to caramelize fully; add anchovy fillets and olives just before baking. Serve at room temperature.

Tomato and basil: push halved cherry tomatoes into the dimples, scatter torn basil just after baking (never before — it burns). A thin layer of crushed tomatoes on the surface before the cherry tomatoes adds body.

Rosemary, olive, and sea salt: the eternal classic. Generous rosemary (don't be timid), pitted olives pressed into the dough, and a substantial amount of flaky sea salt scattered over the olive oil surface.

Potato and rosemary: thinly sliced potato (on a mandoline) arranged on the dough surface, drizzled with olive oil and rosemary. This takes 5-10 minutes longer to bake until the potato is cooked through.

Grape and walnut: slightly sweet focaccia for a cheese board accompaniment. Halved seedless grapes pressed into the dough, crushed walnuts scattered over. No additional salt — the natural sweetness of the grapes is the flavor.

The base recipe handles all these additions without modification — the topping variations are what differentiate them.