Ingredients
Scale
3-hour focaccia
- 500 grams King Arthur Bread Flour
- 12 grams instant-yeast
- 455 grams semi-warm water (90-110 degrees F)
- 20 grams honey
- 30 grams olive oil
- 14 grams fine salt (sea salt or table salt work fine)
- *Lots of extra olive oil for dough handling and baking
Equipment needed
- 9×13 baking sheet, include parchment paper if your baking sheet is prone to sticking
- Kitchen scale for accuracy
- Dough whisk or regular whisk to combine dry ingredients
- Rubber spatula
- Large bowl at least 3 1/2 quarts
- Wire rack for cooling
- Flexible spatula
Instructions
- Turn the light on in your oven so the ambient warmth can help create the perfect proofing spot for the dough.
- Combine bread flour and yeast in a large bowl using a dough whisk or regular whisk. This dough rises almost 3x its size, so make sure your bowl can contain at least 3 1/2 quarts.
- In a large measuring cup or medium-sized bowl, mix together the semi-warm water, honey, and olive oil until the honey is completely dissolved. The oil will rise to that top and that’s fine.
- Pour the water mixture into the flour mixture and use a dough whisk or large spoon to combine until the dough is about 80% combined. Then, add the salt and continue to mix everything together until no dry pockets of flour remain and it’s 100% combined. Visually, the dough will look a wet, sticky, shaggy mess, and it’s supposed to. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it into your turned-off oven with just the oven light on to rest for 30 minutes.
- After 30 min, you’ll see that the dough has nearly doubled in size. Remove the plastic wrap. Pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil all over the dough, and a little more in your hands. Even though the dough is in a bowl, imagine four “corners” of the dough. Gently lift and fold one corner of the dough up (careful not to tear it) onto itself, and repeat with each remaining corner. Repeat once more, for a total of 8 folds (please watch video for reference). Add about one tablespoon of olive oil, then over plastic wrap and let it proof for a full hour in your turned-off oven.
- Meanwhile pour about 1/4 cup of olive oil in the bottom of your 9-x13 baking dish, making sure the oil reaches every corner. Set aside. If you’re using a baking dish that is prone to sticking, line it with parchment paper before adding the oil.
- After an hour remove the dough from the turned-off oven, and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, with the lower-middle rack in place.
- Remove the plastic and pour about 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the dough. Use a rubber spatula to help push the dough down from the sides of the bowl. Apply about a tablespoon of olive oil to your hands. Gently lift the dough from the middle, pulling it up GENTLY to stretch it slightly, then fold it onto itself. This is how we knead it. This helps create gluten and structure. Do this four times. Then lift the dough from the bowl so that it pours over both sides of your hands just a little, and slap it back into the bowl. Repeat this about 8 times. The dough will get stronger and appear as a more sturdy but still soft ball. Please see video for reference if you’re unsure.
- Transfer the dough to the oiled baking dish, and flip it around so it’s oiled on both sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and a tea towel (for extra warmth) and let it rest/proof for a final 35 minutes while your oven gets nice and hot.
- After the final rest, remove the plastic wrap. The dough should have risen and expanded to fill the base of the baking dish. If you want to add any toppings at this point, now is the time.
- Drizzle a generous amount (about 3 tablespoons) of olive oil to the surface of the dough and use your oiled fingers to dimple the dough. You aren’t trying to aggressively tear holes in the bottom of the dough, but you should be firm enough to let your fingertips touch the bottom of the pan. See video for reference as to how much oil should be visible on the surface of the dough.
- Spray with a light mist of water, or use your fingers to sprinkle the water onto the dough. Bake the focaccia on the lower-middle rack of your super hot 450° F oven for 15-20 minutes. It should be golden brown.
- Remove the focaccia from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. This helps the focaccia re-absorb any oil (as much as it can). Using a flexible spatula, transfer the focaccia to a wire rack to cool for at least a half hour. The top of the focaccia will go from crusty to soft as it cools. The end result is a squishy soft bread with a crusty “fried” bottom.
- Cut, serve, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: breads
- Method: baking
