When the world was experiencing the first lockdown of Covid in Spring 2020, I was perfecting my bread baking because let’s face it, there was nothing else to do! It has now become my go-to bread recipe and everyone who has tried it loves it.
It is important to note that this recipe requires the dough to rest for a minimum of 10 hours prior to cooking, so you need a bit of forethought if you want to prepare this one, however, aside from the wait time, it is a super easy recipe to make and doesn’t involve any kneading!
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons kosher salt
2¼ teaspoons or one packet of instant yeast
2 cups warm tap water
4 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra to grease pans)
Chopped fresh or dried herbs or veggies of your choice
Directions
In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 tsp of salt, and instant yeast and stir well. Add the warm water and mix until all of the flour is incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
Once the dough has rested in the refrigerator, lightly oil two 9-inch cake pans or one large baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into the center of each pan or the baking sheet. If using the cake pans, divide dough in half, forming each half into a ball, and place one piece of dough in each pan, turning to coat with oil. If using the baking sheet, form an oval out of the entire piece of dough and roll to coat with oil. Cover the pans or baking sheet with plastic wrap and let sit somewhere warm for 2-3 hours or until it has expanded to cover most of the surface of the pan/sheet.
Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Drizzle a tablespoon of oil over each round of dough (or two tablespoons if making one large focaccia on a baking sheet). With oiled fingers, press straight down in the dough to create deep holes, stretching the dough if needed to allow it to fill the pan. If you are using a baking sheet, depending on the size of the sheet, it will probably not fill the entire sheet so, at this time, you can shape the focaccia into an oval. Sprinkle top of the focaccia with your choice of dry and/or fresh herbs, the remaining tsp of salt, and other toppings of your choice (thinly sliced tomato, feta, pesto, and olives are some of my favorites).
Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the top begins to turn golden and the bottom is crisp.
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