Focaccia Bread

Make the Dough. In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour and fine sea salt. In another bowl, mix together warm water, instant yeast, sugar, and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add the yeast water mixture into the flour and mix by hand until all water is absorbed and a rough dough forms. Note: this is a very high hydration dough, which would mean that the dough is extremely sticky. At this point, the dough will likely be sticking to your hands very badly, but don’t fret. Without cleaning your hands, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and incorporate until fully absorbed. The dough should not be sticky anymore. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.

Develop the Gluten. Dampen hand with a little bit of water (so dough won’t stick), and begin to stretch & fold the dough. Start by grabbing one corner of the dough: stretch it vertically as high as possible (without tearing), then fold it over the dough itself. Repeat this around all corners of the dough for 5 minutes.

Proof the Focaccia. Turn the dough onto a rimmed baking sheet that has been greased with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Note: this seems like a lot of oil but it’s what will develop the signature texture of the focaccia. Using your fingers, press and stretch the dough out into all four corners of the baking sheet. If you find that the dough keeps bouncing back / isn’t stretching out easily, cover the whole baking sheet with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes before trying again. Repeat if necessary. Eventually you will be able to spread the dough to the whole sheet. Cover the sheet with plastic wrap and let ferment in the fridge overnight, or 12-16 hours.

Bake the Focaccia. Take the dough out of the fridge and coat the top with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Make dimples throughout the dough with your fingers. Cover the sheet again with plastic wrap and proof for a final 50-60 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 450 F (232 C). After the final proof, drizzle a little extra olive oil on top, followed by a generous amount of flaky kosher salt and fresh rosemary leaves. Optional Decoration: I used 1 scallion, 2 pearl onions (each thinly sliced), and 6 cherry tomatoes (each halved) to decorate my focaccia. Feel free to decorate your focaccia however you would like, but keep in mind to not introduce too many distinct/conflicting flavors. Bake the Focaccia for 25-30 minutes, or until crispy golden-brown on top. Remove from pan immediately and let rest on a wire wrack for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.