Who doesn’t love the smell and flavor of freshly baked crunchy, chewy warm bread? This focaccia recipe adapted from Bon Appetit (#bonappetitmag) is so easy, it’s almost embarrassing! I’ve tried several more traditional focaccia recipes and the labor involved did not produce better focaccia than this very, very easy ( dare I say fun?) magical process. Using an 18x13” sheet pan yields bread about 1 ½ inches thick. Using a smaller baking pan will produce thicker bread that can be sliced in half to use for sandwiches. The thinner version can be used for snacking or cut into 2” squares and topped with your choice of savory toppings for appetizers (think tomato salsa with basil, or browned, sauteed mushrooms with a pinch of thyme and an optional splash of brandy). If you want the full, rich flavor of this bread serve it warm. Leftover bread can be reheated in a 300-degree oven or toaster oven for 5 minutes. It keeps well in the freezer for several weeks.

10-12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.) or an equal amount of instant yeast

• 2 tsp. honey

• 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour

• 5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt

• 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for the pan

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan

• Flaky sea salt (optional)

• 2–4 garlic cloves (optional)

Preparation:

1. Whisk 1¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.), 2 tsp. honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit for 5 minutes (it should foam or at least get creamy; if it doesn’t your yeast is dead and you should start again—check the expiration date!). (If using instant yeast, skip this step and add the warm water and honey in Step 2)

2. Add 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour, 5 teaspoons Diamond Crystal or 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt, (add instant yeast if using), and mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain. If using Instant Yeast, add the warm water and honey now.

3. Pour 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. This puppy is going to rise! Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), for at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. I let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 3–4 hours.

4. Generously butter a 13x9" baking pan, for thicker focaccia that’s perfect for sandwiches, or an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet, for focaccia that's thinner, crispier, and great for snacking. I used an 18x13” sheet pan. The butter may seem unnecessary, but it’ll ensure that your focaccia doesn’t stick. (remember: Julia Child would say, “butter makes it better!”

5. Keeping the dough in the bowl and using a fork in each hand, gather up the edges of the dough farthest from you and lift up and over into the center of the bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball. (Credit this technique to Alexandra Stafford @alexandracooks, who uses it to shape her no-knead bread.) Transfer dough to a prepared pan. Pour any oil left in the bowl over the dough and turn the dough over.

6. Let the dough rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot (like near a radiator or on top of the fridge or a preheating oven) until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours.

7. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat 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. (If at this point the dough is ready to bake but you aren’t, you can chill it for up to 1 hour.)

8. Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out the dough to fill the pan. (you probably won't need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple the focaccia all over with your fingers, like you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating deep depressions in the dough (poke your fingers all the way to the bottom of the pan).

9. Sprinkle the dough evenly all over with the rosemary and parmesan or whatever toppings you have on hand. The dough is a blank culinary-canvas for you to paint. Bake the focaccia until it is puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes.

10. *Optional: If you want garlicky bread, hold off on this last step until you're ready to serve the focaccia: Melt 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Peel and grate in 2–4 garlic cloves with a Microplane (use 2 cloves if you’re garlic-shy or up to 4 if you love it). Return to medium heat and cook, stirring often, until garlic is just lightly toasted 30–45 seconds. (Or, if you prefer raw garlic to toasted garlic, you can grate the garlic into the hot butter, off heat, then brush right away.) Brush the garlic-butter all over the focaccia and slice into squares or rectangles.

Adapted from: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/easy-no-knead-focaccia