i saw this recipe in the august 2007 issue of cooking light and knew i absolutely had to bake it.

red onion-fontina sake focaccia
adapted from cooking light, august 2007

* 1 package dry yeast
* dash of sugar
* 3/4 cup warm water
* 2.75 cups all-purpose flour, divided
* 4 teaspoons cornmeal, divided
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup warm sake
* cooking spray
* 1.5 cups vertically sliced red onion
* 1/2 teaspoon sake
* 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
* dash of pepper
* 1 teaspoon water
* 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
* 1.75 cups shredded fontina cheese
* 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1) dissolve yeast in warm water for 5 minutes
2) combine 2.5 cups flour, 1 tablespoon cornmeal, and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl. mix well with a whisk
3) stir 1/2 cup warm sake into yeast mixture. immediately add to flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms
4) turn dough onto floured surface. knead about 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until dough does not stick to hands
5) place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray. turn dough to coat top. cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, or until dough has doubled in size
6) preheat oven to 400°. turn dough onto a baking sheet evenly sprinkled with remaining cornmeal. gently press dough into a 12-inch circle. cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 15 minutes
7) combine red onion, remaining sake, olive oil, and pepper in a bowl. toss with fingers until well-coated
8 ) combine 1 teaspoon water and egg white in a bowl. brush dough with egg white mixture
9) sprinkle fontina cheese evenly over dough. then top with red onion mixture. sprinkle with thyme
10) bake in oven for 35 minutes or until bread is deep golden brown and cheese is bubbly

now, i'm not sure how this would taste without having included sake. all i know is that i thought this bread, sake and all, tasted quite good. it reminds me so much of pizza that i was tempted to eat it as a meal on its own. dipped in marinara sauce, of course.

i call this 'fancy cheesy bread' because that's exactly what it struck me as. if you love domino's cheesy bread, you're almost guaranteed to love this recipe. the fontina is just exquisite as a topping. and if you think your appetite can handle it, this would be a lovely addition to an italian meal. for me, it'd be too much bread for, say, pasta. but maybe chicken marsala. eggplant parmesan. mmm. the possibilities are endless. and delicious.
this recipe is definitely getting clipped from my magazine and placed into my recipe files. i recommend the same for you!