The Focaccia Onion Board is one of those dishes that I could practically taste when I read the recipe. I made it for dinner, served alongside this Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup from Simply Recipes, which is one of my favorite winter soups.

Like the Ligurian Focaccia, I made this in my quarter sheet pan. Deb calls for a 9×13 pan, but I suspect that’s because she anticipates most folks will have one. A quarter sheet pan is a smidge wider and barely shorter (9.5″ x 12.8″), so I knew the dough would fit. I also figured I’d get a better result, as my 9×13 pan is glass. Note that if you do use a glass pan for this, some commenters indicated that the dough stuck to it mightily. Apparently if you butter the pan before putting in the oil that solves the problem.

If your 9×13 pan is also glass, I recommend that you get a quarter sheet pan if you have the space and funds. It’s nice to have some smaller rimmed baking sheets around (I also have a couple of eighth sheet pans) for little jobs like toasting nuts, and you can also use them for prep. Nordic Ware Naturals is the brand to get.

Anyway, I let this rise on the counter for about four hours, which is twice as long as Deb calls for. But my kitchen is cold and I knew it wouldn’t be out long enough to get weird. This worked perfectly, though I’m not sure how much that was aided by the oven being on for part of that time. (I roasted the veggies for soup in the afternoon, they’re easier to handle if they’re cool.) I did get a lovely rise and the dough was very light and airy when I got it into the pan.

The only other change I made was to bake this on top of our pizza stone. Partially because it turned out to be in the oven, but also because I knew that would help ensure the bottom was crisp.

I’m fairly happy with how this turned out, but I have a few pointers. Deb says that this is supposed to be “deeply golden brown at the edges and across the top” after 25 minutes. Mine was barely golden at the edges at that point, so I put it in for 10 more minutes. I liked the color better at that point, but it still wasn’t “deeply golden brown.” But if you look at the photos on her site, it’s much closer to what I wound up with — lightly golden.

As you will see I did run into trouble with the onions. I overcooked them on the stovetop, so they burned in the oven, especially with the extra 10 minutes. I quickly pulled off some of the worst, but I’d say to err on the side of getting less color on them on the stove. Definitely look at the reference photos she’s got on the recipe to guide you.

This is much less salty than what I think of when I think of focaccia. But this is a spin on an Eastern European flatbread, so I don’t think it’s supposed to be. And it’s meant to go alongside a spread of bagel-type toppings like cream cheese, lox, etc. So if you are planning to do that, I think it’ll be pretty perfect.

I can see myself making this again for a brunch, or as a bread to serve when I’m making something for dinner and wish I had bread to go with it but didn’t anticipate that 24 hours prior. But if I’m making focaccia, I’m going to stick with the Ligurian Focaccia, and maybe add onions to that if I feel so inclined.