I love making bread, mostly because I love eating bread, but also because the ingredients are so accessible. This recipe has six ingredients, all of which are most likely already hanging out in your kitchen, and two of which are just different types of salt. One of my friends inspired me to make focaccia when he brought be some in exchange for some of my sourdough starter. It was a win win situation - he got sourdough and didn't have to go through the long process creating a sourdough starter, and I got to eat bread! I fell in love with the soft, fluffy nature of focaccia and the moistness that comes with the olive oil.
Out of all of the breads I have made thus far, the focaccia dough was definitely the most heavenly. Coated in olive oil, it folded nicely onto itself and spread easily onto the baking sheet. The process is straightforward, just make sure to account for the 8-24 hours of rest that it requires in between steps 6 and 7.
Once this bread was out of the oven, I could barely get a picture of it before my family was all over it. I love the simplicity of it because no spreads or toppings are necessary to eat it, especially right out of the oven. I ate several pieces plain and later gave some to my friend, who then happily ate it plain. A couple days later, when there was miraculously still some left, the focaccia had hardened a bit, so I sliced it in half horizontally, popped it in the toaster and made avocado toast with one slice and peanut butter and banana toast with the other slice - so delicious. Briefly toasting the focaccia softened it while giving it a slight crisp which lent itself perfectly to toppings. You could even make sandwiches out of it in the couple days following baking!
Yields: one 18X13" pan Active Time: 45 mins Total Time: 24 hours
Ingredients ~ 6¼ cups bread flour (30 oz. or 850g) 2¼ tsp. active dry yeast (from one ¼-oz. packet) Pinch of sugar 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt 5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for greasing and drizzling Flaky sea salt
Instructions ~
Combine flour and 2½ cups room-temperature water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed, scraping down sides and hook as needed to incorporate any dry flour, until a shaggy dough forms. Remove dough hook and cover bowl with plastic. Let sit while you prepare the yeast (you can leave the dough in this state up to 2 hours).
Stir yeast, sugar, and ½ cup warm water with a fork in a small bowl to dissolve. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
Pour yeast mixture into stand mixer bowl and mix on low speed until dough absorbs all additional water, about 1 minute (pulse mixer on and off a couple of times at very beginning to prevent liquid from splashing over the sides). Add kosher salt and continue to mix, increasing speed to medium, until dough is extremely elastic and very sticky (it will look more like a thick batter and will stick to sides of bowl), about 5 minutes.
Pour 3 Tbsp. oil into a large (preferably glass) bowl and swirl to coat sides. Scrape in dough with a large spatula or flexible bench scraper. Cover and place in a warm spot until dough is doubled in volume, 2–3 hours. If using a glass bowl, it’s helpful to mark the position of the dough at the beginning so you can accurately assess the rise (a dry-erase marker or piece of tape works).
Drizzle 2 Tbsp. oil over a 18x13" sheet pan and use fingertips to rub all over bottom and sides. Using large spatula or flexible bench scraper, fold dough inside bowl a couple of times to deflate, then scrape onto prepared baking sheet. Using oiled hands, lift up dough and fold over onto itself in half, then rotate baking sheet 90° and fold in half again. Cover dough with a piece of well-oiled plastic and let rest 10 minutes to let gluten relax.
Uncover and go back in with oiled hands, gently stretching dough (to avoid tearing) across length and width of baking sheet in an even layer, working all the way to edges and into corners. If dough starts to spring back, let sit 5–10 minutes and start again. Cover again with same piece of oiled plastic and chill at least 8 hours and up to 24.
Let sheet pan sit in a warm spot until dough is puffed and bubbly and nearly doubled in height, 45–65 minutes (if you’re using a standard half sheet pan, it will have risen to the very top of the sides). Meanwhile, place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 450°.
Remove plastic and drizzle dough generously with more oil. Oil hands again and press fingertips firmly into dough, pushing down all the way to bottom of pan to dimple all over. Sprinkle generously with sea salt.
Bake focaccia until surface is deep golden brown all over, 25–35 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Slide a thin metal spatula underneath focaccia to loosen from sheet pan (it may stick in a couple of places, so use some elbow grease to get underneath) and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely before cutting as desired.
Do Ahead: Focaccia can be baked 1 day ahead. Tightly wrap in plastic and store at room temperature.
Recipe From: bon appetit
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