Focaccia Recipe
2 ¼ cups warm water (about 100F)
2 teaspoons honey
2 ½ teaspoons yeast
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more
5 cups flour
2.5 teaspoons kosher salt
Toppings (optional)
Combine water, honey, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer (or other large bowl) and let sit for 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of oil followed by the flour (properly measured by spooning the flour into a dry measuring cup and leveling it off) and salt. Mix on low using the dough hook attachment until just combined (alternatively, mix using a wooden spoon or your hands). The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the mixture with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for 30-45 minutes (this rest allows the flour to absorb the water and for gluten to begin developing, which will make the kneading process easier). After the rest, mix the dough on low for about 1 minute.
Generously grease a large container or bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough into your chosen vessel. Flip the dough over so that it’s coated in oil. Cover and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
A few hours before you’re ready to bake, lightly butter and generously oil a 13×9 inch baking pan (if you’d like a crispier focaccia, use a baking sheet instead). Remove the dough from the fridge. Using both hands scoop up the middle of the dough and stretch it upwards until the ends come free from the container. Fold the ends under the rest of the dough. Repeat the stretching and folding process 2-3 times (this video demonstrates this technique well). This builds a bit of extra strength in the dough, gently de-gases it, and gives it a rough shape. Transfer the dough seam side down to the prepared pan. (If you don’t feel comfortable with the stretch and folding process or just don’t feel like it, you can just scoop the dough into your baking pan of choice…the difference will be fairly negligible.) Stretch the dough slightly toward the edges of the pan, but don’t worry if it’s not filling it, it will expand outward as well as upward as it rises. Cover and allow the focaccia to rise in a warm spot for about 1.5-2 hours.
With an oiled finger, gently poke the dough. If it springs back slowly and leaves a small indentation, it’s perfectly proofed and you can move on to the next step. If it springs back quickly, it’s under-proofed – allow to rise for half an hour longer. If it deflates/doesn’t spring back at all, then it’s probably over-proofed…don’t despair, just bake as directed and know that the end product may be a little denser and flatter than it otherwise would have been, and try again tomorrow!
Preheat the oven to 450F. If you’re using a baking sheet, gently stretch the dough to fill the pan. Using all ten fingers, dimple the bread all over by poking your fingers nearly to the bottom of the pan. Drizzle the bread with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and top as desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the focaccia is pulling away from the sides of the pan and the top is golden brown and crispy.
*If you’d like to use this as a pizza base, use a baking sheet and skip the dimpling step. Note that it will essentially be a thick crust Sicilian/Grandma style pie. For a thinner crust (though still not super thin), you can divide the dough between two baking sheets. It likely won’t fill the whole baking sheet, so just form it into an oblong shape after the rise.
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