Focaccia Bread Recipe

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast and kosher salt. Add the warm water and 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon until sticky dough is formed. With wet hands, lift the bottom of the dough and wrap it over the top a few times, folding the dough to make a ball and to ensure all of the flour has been incorporated. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or place in a large zip-top bag.

Proof overnight at room temperature, preferably 12 to 16 hours. The dough will rise and double in size, and then collapse. (For example, we like to mix at 9:00 pm and start the baking process at 1:00 pm the next day.)

After the rise, add a small drizzle of olive oil into a 9″ x 13″ metal baking pan and use your hands to spread it across the bottom. With your oiled hands, turn the dough into the baking pan and gently press and stretch the dough so that it is evenly distributed across the pan (take care not to smash all of the air out of the dough). It may take several times of stretching it out to reach the corners. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a large zip-top bag and rest for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with a pizza stone inside. You can still bake without the pizza stone, but it will yield an airier dough.

In a small bowl, stir together the brine ingredients.

Pour the brine over the puffy dough and lightly press your fingers into the dough, all the way across, to dimple the dough. Sprinkle with rosemary leaves.

Bake immediately: place the pan on the pizza stone and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool completely before cutting. Store up to 3 days in a sealed plastic bag with excess air squeezed out or a sealed container.