Day 359: Focaccia Bread

Focaccia is my favorite type of bread! It's crispy on the top and fluffy and soft on the inside!

You can even make sandwiches out of this recipe! My favorite type of focaccia sandwich is just to cut a little slice of the bread and fill it with pesto and tomatoes.

Focaccia also tastes great served with olive oil. Plus, you can add extra toppings before you bake the bread. Rosemary, thyme, or garlic all tastes great!

Having fresh yeast is incredibly important for focaccia. You know your yeast is ready when it foams up in the water/honey. With good yeast, you can have a really tender interior of your bread. When you are poking holes with your fingers into the focaccia, you may see air bubbles. That's a good sign!

This is a fun bread baking project, and the great thing about it is that you can make the dough before you sleep and bake it in the morning!

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|Level:👩🏽‍🍳👩🏽‍🍳|Time: 14 hours|Serves: 8|

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 2 1/3 cup warm water

• 41/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon salt + extra for the top

• 1/2 cups olive oil, divided

STEPS:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the yeast, honey, and water. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until it foams. If it doesn't, your yeast has expired, and you will have to try again with another packet. To your yeast mixture add the flour and salt. Knead into a ball and cover the bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Proof your dough in the fridge overnight for at least 10 hours.

2. In the morning, take your dough out of the bowl. Grease a 9x13" pan with butter. If you want, you can also use two, 9" cake pans. Add your 1/4 cup of your oil into the pan, and add your dough in as well. Cover with a damp kitchen towel, and proof for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

3. With your hands, stretch the focaccia dough all around your pan. Poke holes with your fingers into the dough and drizzle your remaining olive oil. You can add fresh rosemary, or cherry tomatoes now if you would like. Sprinkle extra salt to taste around the focaccia. Bake for 30 minutes at 450 degrees F, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

- The Bored Baker 👩🏽‍🍳