When I posted this sandwich I told you I’ve been meaning to bake my own focaccia. And I finally went for it! I read a lot of recipes to find one that wasn’t too fussy (i.e. didn’t require two days to proof) and had great reviews. What I didn’t expect is that first try it would turn out so perfect! Actually comparable to the focaccia I obsess over at my favorite restaurants/bakeries. And the best part… it’s really not hard!

Focaccia is extra delicious because it contains a lot of oil. The oil ensures the bread is rich in flavor and that you get a crispy crust (while the center stays soft and chewy). I kept things simple this time and just topped it with flakey sea salt. But the options are endless… garlic, onion, fresh or dried herbs, tomatoes, cheese. We devoured more than half of this loaf shortly after it came out of the oven. Leftovers I hid in the freezer and made for some awesome sandwiches a few days later.

Note: Bon Appetit has some helpful photos/video of the baking process (turning the dough, dimpling the loaf, etc.) so you can follow this link to see those.

Easy (Yet Amazing!) No-Knead Focaccia

INGREDIENTS

1/4 -oz. envelope active dry yeast (~2 1/4 tsp.)
2 tsp. honey
5 cups all-purpose flour
5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton Kosher salt (I used kosher salt)
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided + extra for hands
flakey sea salt, for topping (I used Maldon)

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk one ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.), 2 tsp. honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes (it should foam or at least get creamy; if it doesn’t your yeast is dead and you should start again—check the expiration date!).
2. Add 5 cups all-purpose flour and 5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt and mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
3. Pour 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into a big bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. This puppy is going to rise! Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. If you’re in a rush, you can also let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 3–4 hours. (Mine rose for 4 hours at room temperature.)
4. Generously butter (I used nonstick cooking spray) a 9×13 baking pan, for thicker focaccia that’s perfect for sandwiches, or an 13×18 rimmed baking sheet, for focaccia that’s thinner, crispier, and great for snacking. The butter may seem superfluous, but it’ll ensure that your focaccia doesn’t stick. Pour 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil into center of pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl and using a fork in each hand, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into center of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball. Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over and turn dough to coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot (like near a radiator or on top of the fridge or a preheating oven) until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours. (I let mine rise for another 3 hours.)
5. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450 F. To see if the dough is ready, poke it with your finger. It should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready. (If at this point the dough is ready to bake but you aren’t, you can chill it up to 1 hour.) Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you probably won’t need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, like you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough (reach your fingers all the way to the bottom of the pan). Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
6. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes. (Mine took about 25 minutes.) Cool on a wire rack, slice, and serve.

Makes a 9×13 or 13×18 pan foccacia.

(Adapted from Bon Appetit)