1 large Spanish onion (about 10 ounces), peeled, chopped,
and cooked in 2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1-1/4 cups water
1/3 cup fresh rosemary leaves
To finish bread:
1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
Place all ingredients, except onion, in bread machine. Program for Dough or Manual, and press Start. At the end of the final knead, add the onion (but not the liquid) to the machine. Restart and knead only until the onion is roughly mixed in. The dough will be wet and the onion will remain in clumps, sticking out of the dough. Turn the dough out on a well-floured board and knead briefly by hand to form a ball. This is peasant bread, and the wet dough will reflect that.
Oil a pizza pan or baking sheet. Place the dough on the prepared pan and pat it into a 12 inch disk, or if a square pan -- stretch to reach all sides. Coat the top of the dough with the onion juices (if there were no juices, coat with 1 Tablespoon olive oil). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise either at room temperature until doubled in bulk, or in the refrigerator overnight. A long cold rise in the refrigerator will result in a more flavorful bread with a heartier interior.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the center position. Just before baking the dough, use your fingertips to gently make indentations in the surface. Drizzle on the oil and then sprinkle with salt and rosemary leaves. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
