sprinklefingers

once upon a time i was afraid of yeast doughs. i think everyone starts out afraid of yeast doughs (right?)…then you make your first batch of pizza dough and you can’t believe you didn’t dabble in yeast sooner - at least that’s how it happened to me.

since overcoming my fear of yeast many years ago (i’m so old,) i’ve made hundreds of batches of pizza dough. i make homemade rolls every chance i get. if i could make whole wheat bread every day i would. i make yeasted waffles. and pretzel rolls. add in some brioche and everything would pretty much be perfect.

although! don’t forget the focaccia! focaccia is so easy. and it’s so good with soup which, because it’s winter, we’ve been eating a lot of. the best thing about this recipe is that it’s delicious. the next best thing about this recipe is that you can mix your dough and let it have it’s initial rise - then you can pop it into the fridge and leave it there until you’re ready to bake - up to FIVE full days. when you’re ready to bake you simply remove it from the fridge, shape it and then let it come up to room temperature for about an hour…then you bake & eat. so easy!

but wait! there’s more! this focaccia dough is endlessly versatile! herbs, cheese, cured meats - even eggs - can take it in any direction you’d like. make this focaccia and make it yours!

good focaccia

you need:

• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• 1 t active dry yeast
• 3 1/2 cups PLUS 1 T AP flour
• 1 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 t kosher salt, plus some for sprinkling
• 2 T honey
• 1/2 cup PLUS 1/4 cup good quality olive oil
• dried italian herb mix

make the focaccia:

1. fit your stand mixer with the dough hook.
2. in the bowl of your stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
3. stir in the honey.
4. combine both flours and 1 t salt in a separate bowl, then add it to the yeast mixture.
5. turn the mixer on and mix the ingredients together - extra slowly at first - and then at low speed until the dough comes together a bit but is still slightly craggy.
6. with the mixer on, add 1/2 cup olive oil in a slow steady stream. you may need to stop the mixer once or twice to pull the dough down off the hook.
7. when the oil is mostly incorporated, turn the mixer up one notch to a low-medium setting and knead the dough for 5 minutes.
8. take a look at your dough while it’s mixing: does it seem to wet? don’t worry, add in a tablespoon of flour. is it not soft and tender? again, don’t worry, splash in a tablespoon of water.
9. once kneaded, dump the dough into an oiled bowl. cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot for 3 hours.
10. now that you’ve made it through your initial rise, you can either prepare the focaccia for baking OR punch it down and refrigerate it for use later in the week.

to bake straightaway:

1. sprinkle some flour on your countertop and pat some flour on your hands. remove the dough from the bowl and begin to shape it into a rectangle that’s approximately 10x15 inches. once you have it worked into sort-of a rectangle, place the dough on a baking sheet and continue to stretch it, wiggle it, whatever you need to do - to get it into a rectangle shape. the dough will not change shape magically while baking, so the shape you make now is the shape it will bake into.
2. once it’s shaped, cover it with a clean towel and set it in a warm spot for 1 hour.
3. preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. remove the towel from your dough and poke holes all over the dough with your fingertips.
5. sprinkle the dough with a light, light shower of kosher salt and a medium shower (or to taste) of italian seasoning. drizzle the 1/4 cup olive oil over the top.
6. bake for 20-25 minutes or until the focaccia is golden and nearly all of the oil is absorbed. additionally, you’ll want to check that the focaccia is baked all the way through -  using a spatula, lift up an edge of the bread - the edges may be baked, but the center could still be a bit doughy - take a look! if it’s still soft in the center underneath, bake for a few more minutes. (another way to check for center doneness is to simply attempt to slide the bread around on the baking sheet. if it slides, that’s a good indicator that it is fully baked (as long as the top is golden and the olive oil is almost completely absorbed.))

to store and bake later:

1. after your dough has gone through it’s initial rise, peel back the plastic wrap and punch the dough down. refasten the wrap and refrigerate the dough.
2. when you’re ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
3. next, follow the steps 1 - 6 as written for baking straightaway. easy!

find some simple focaccia storage & reheating tips here!