Focaccia

I copied this gem from a library book last fall, No Need to Knead. It’s versatile, tastes great–and is very easy to make! It also can be ready to eat in a little over an hour. So without further ado (comments in parenthesis are mine):

2 cups lukewarm water

2 tsp active dry yeast

4 cups unbleached bread flour (I have used whole wheat flour; it just takes longer to rise)

2-3 teaspoons salt

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (I’ll try this if I can ever keep a rosemary plant alive long enough to harvest; in the meanwhile I use about 1 tablespoon dried rosemary)

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Stir yeast and water in a large bowl until dissolved. Using a large wooden spoon, stir in 2 cups flour and the salt and stir briskly until smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of flour for about 2 minutes longer, just until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and the flour is incorporated (I stir until my arm gives out, which is less than 2 minutes I’m sure but it still turns out). The dough will be fairly wet and tacky, but if it seems too sticky stir in an additional 1/4-1/2 cup of flour.

Same day method: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 30-40 minutes.

Overnight method: Cover the bowl & refrigerate overnight. The dough will rise in the refrigerator and acquire flavor from the slower yeast action. Remove dough 2 hours before shaping and let stand, covered, in a warm place. (I haven’t used this method yet due to not planning ahead.)

Preheat oven to 500°. Oil one or two 13×18 baking sheets (I use a single 15″ round pizza pan).

Pour the dough onto the sheet(s), carefully scraping it from the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Brush with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. To make traditional focaccia with indentations (this is the fun part!), dip your fingers into cold water or olive oil and insert them straight down into the dough. Make holes in the dough by pulling it to the sides about 1″ at a time (because of my pan size I end up with very small holes), pulling and stretching the dough into a 1″ thick oval. Brush with another teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary and sea salt.

Place pan(s) in oven and reduce temperature to 450°. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until focaccia is golden brown with darker brown around the indented areas. Cut into wedges or rectangles and enjoy! (for breakfast or any time I want something a little sweet, I brush the dough with butter instead of olive oil, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar and ground cinnamon)