The only bread I ever make.
I am not much of a baker. I typically don't have the patience to follow the precise measurements and care that baking requires. As a bread lover in the Bay Area, I also have access to some of the absolute best bakeries in the world to get my fix - usually sourdough.
This is the only bread I make. It is so easy and always a crowd pleaser. This recipe has been adapted from Bon Appetit - check their site out for helpful videos of each step!
Cook time | At least 10 hours |
Servings | 10-12 |
Ingredients
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons honey
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Flaky sea salt
1-2 sprigs rosemary
Instructions
Whisk active dry yeast, honey, and 2 ½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes. It should foam or at least get creamy; if it doesn’t your yeast is dead :(
Add flour and kosher salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms with no dry streaks.
Pour 4 tablespoons olive oil into a large bowl. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap. If you have time, pop in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. If you're in a rush, leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
Butter a 13x9 baking pan and pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into the center of the pan.
Grab your dough - it should have doubled in size by now! Using a fork in each hand, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into center of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball.
Transfer dough to prepared pan and turn dough to coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 450°. To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready.
Lightly oil your hands and dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, like you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough (reach your fingers all the way to the bottom of the pan). Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and rosemary.
Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes.
Enjoy! I especially recommend serving this recipe with white wine mussels for sopping up all the good sauce.
