Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia
Breads · Serves 12 · Prep 25 min · Cook 25 min · Total 50 min
A tall, airy, olive oil-soaked bread with a crackling bottom and deep dimples that pool with oil. The dough does most of the work during a slow rest in the fridge, so the hands-on time is short.
Ingredients
- 4 cup bread flour (about 1 lb 2 oz)
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 3/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
Steps
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, fine salt and yeast. Add the water and stir until no dry flour remains; the dough will be sticky and shaggy. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
- With wet hands, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up and fold it over the middle. Turn the bowl and repeat 4 times. Do 3 more rounds of these stretch-and-folds every 20 to 30 minutes; the dough will turn smooth and stretchy.
- Move the dough to a container oiled with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. (In a hurry, let it double at room temperature instead, about 2 hours.)
- Pour 1/4 cup oil into a 9x13-inch metal pan. Turn the dough into the pan and flip it to coat. Rest 15 minutes, then gently stretch it toward the corners. Cover and let it rise in a warm spot until puffy, jiggly and nearly doubled, 2 to 4 hours.
- Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Drizzle the remaining oil over the dough. Oil your fingertips and press straight down to the bottom of the pan all over to make deep dimples. Scatter with rosemary and flaky salt.
- Bake until deep golden on top and crisp underneath, 22 to 28 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move to a rack so the bottom stays crisp. It's best the day it's baked; rewarm leftovers in a hot oven.