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Focaccia

Focaccia

Make Focaccia with a golden, olive oil-kissed crust and airy crumb; bake a 9x13 pan for a perfect shareable loaf.

Prep Time60 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time80 minutes
Yield8

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Measure and combine the dry ingredients

Using your scale, weigh the bread flour directly into a large mixing bowl and add the kosher salt, granulated sugar (or honey) and instant yeast. Stir these dry ingredients together gently with a silicone spoon or dough hook until evenly distributed, making a uniform pale mound of powdery flour flecked with tiny grains of sugar and specks of yeast—this is the calm, dry foundation for the focaccia’s open crumb.

Step 2: Add the liquids and form a shaggy dough

Drizzle the measured extra-virgin olive oil and then pour the warm water into the bowl a little at a time while stirring with a dough hook or a sturdy spoon. Mix just until the mass comes together into a wet, sticky, slightly glossy and irregularly textured dough—noticeable strands forming as the water hydrates the flour—then cover the bowl and let it rest, undisturbed, for fifteen minutes to begin autolyse and hydration.

Step 3: First stretch-and-fold and short rest

Wet your fingertips lightly (keep a small bowl of water nearby) and perform the first stretch-and-fold: lift an outer section of dough, stretch upward and fold it into the center, repeating around the bowl until each side has been gathered and pressed. The dough will feel looser and more cohesive after this action. Cover with a dry towel and rest for another fifteen minutes so the gluten relaxes and the dough smooths slightly.

Step 4: Repeat stretch-and-fold sequence to strengthen the dough

Repeat the stretch-and-fold motion three additional times over the next forty-five minutes (roughly every 15 minutes), watching the dough transform: it will go from slack and sticky to more elastic, developing surface sheen and small gas bubbles underneath—this rhythm builds strength and gives the focaccia its airy, open crumb.

Step 5: Cold ferment to develop flavor

After the fourth stretch-and-fold, lightly oil the bowl, seal it with greased plastic wrap or a lid, and place the dough in the refrigerator for at least eight hours or overnight. During this slow, cool fermentation the dough will develop deeper, slightly tangy flavor notes and fine, irregular gas pockets that will become the focaccia’s characteristic crumb structure.

Step 6: Transfer to an oiled rectangular pan and gently shape

Remove the chilled dough to the counter and coat the bottom of a 9x13" metal pan with olive oil. Gently transfer the dough into the pan using minimal handling, coaxing and stretching it toward the corners so the dough sits as a relaxed rectangle—don’t fight it into perfect corners; small resistances and folds preserve the airy structure. The dough should sit in the oiled pan with a slightly tacky, dimpled-looking surface where your palms brushed it.


Step 7: Final warm rise until puffy

Cover the pan with a dry kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 2½ to 4 hours, until it looks noticeably puffy and has expanded to fill most of the pan. This final proof produces a billowy, pillowy surface threaded with small air pockets beneath the skin—soft yet springy to the touch.

Step 8: Dimple, top, and bake

Preheat your oven to 475°F (245°C) separately (do not show the oven). Coat your fingertips in olive oil and press three fingers into the dough repeatedly across the surface to create characteristic deep dimples. Drizzle 1½ tablespoons of olive oil evenly across the top, scatter flaky sea salt and coarsely chopped rosemary if using, creating a gleaming, seasoned skin with scattered green needles and sparkling salt crystals. Transfer the pan to bake (visual only) and bake until golden and crisp at the edges, about twenty minutes.

Step 9: Cool, unmold, and serve close-up

Remove the pan from heat (visual only), transfer to a wire cooling rack, and after a short rest slice the focaccia into squares. The interior should be pale, airy, with large irregular holes and a tender, moist crumb contrasted against a bronzed, crackling top that glistens with olive oil and salt flakes.


Notes