Focaccia Bread

500 grams (4 cups) bread flour

10 grams (1¾ teaspoons) salt

3 grams (1 teaspoon) instant quick yeast

400 grams (1 2/3 cups) warm water

80 grams (4 tablespoons) olive oil, separated, plus more for drizzling after baking

Topping options:

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Fresh rosemary

Olives

Red onion, sliced thin

Flaky sea salt

Red pepper flakes

If possible, weigh each ingredient, including liquids, on scale to measure; if you do not have a digital kitchen scale use traditional measurements.

Place flour, salt and yeast in a bowl. Add water and mix together with wooden spoon to form a loose dough. Dough will seem wet, but do not add more flour.

Turn dough out onto clean work surface, scraping bowl until bowl is clean. Set bowl aside.

Grab dough with your hand, as if picking up, and stretch dough roughly 8 inches. Next throw dough against the table, as if bouncing a ball. Repeat this action 8 minutes, periodically scraping dough back into a tidy pile in the center of your work surface. You will soon notice a change in the texture of the dough as gluten develops, but it will still seem wet. (This can also be done in a stand mixer with a dough hook on high for 5 to 6 minutes.)

After 8 minutes, pour 3 tablespoons olive oil into the bowl previously used to mix dough. Carefully place kneaded dough into bowl using dough scraper or large spatula, making sure to leave any on the table. Pour reserved 1 tablespoon olive oil on top of dough.

Now, using your hands, fold dough over upon itself from the top to the bottom of the bowl, and the again from the bottom to the top. This will help oil incorporate into the dough.

Place dough into a draft free place to rise 30 minutes. Repeat top to bottom and bottom to top folding motions, and resting 30 minutes, 2 more times. You will need to make one more set of folding motions, but this time your dough needs to be placed in the refrigerator 10 minutes.

Lightly oil an approximately 8 x 12 inches or larger pan and line pan with parchment paper. After 10 minutes of resting, remove dough from refrigerator and gently slide dough into pan, being careful not deflate air bubbles. Moisten fingers with oil remaining in bowl and gently coax dough into an even thickness with pan.

Top with toppings of your choice. If using cherry tomatoes, place them cut side down into bread dough. Be sure to be generous with the salt.

Allow dough to rest 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place pan into preheated oven and spritz bottom and sides of oven with a little water, closing oven door quickly. This will help give bread a nice crust.

Bake 15 minutes. After removing from oven, drizzle with additional 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil. Allow bread to cool prior to slicing.

Penny Kazmier