Be kind to yourself...

 

On Mondays I try to be very kind to myself.  My weekend self looks ahead to Monday and says "Oh... we can do better" and has a plan so Monday dinner is easier.  This time was a crockpot soup recipe which was very nice but I wanted some fresh bread to go with it.  Andy loves Focaccia.  I saw this overnight recipe and thought it would be perfect to bake up Monday afternoon for dinner with soup.  We had not had a hard freeze yet so I still had a good amount of herbs outside.  I used  Rosemary, Parsley, Oregano and Chives.  Instead of just salt I used garlic salt to seal the deal with my kids.  They'll eat almost anything if it has garlic salt on it.  I was impressed with my air bubbles and likely would have had more if I had more patience - but we were hungry and needed to get moving.  This is a super easy recipe - YES you have to measure on a scale - it's really not that hard... and it's more accurate so there's that.

Overnight Focaccia

480 grams all-purpose flour

390 grams warm water (100°F)

14 grams diamond crystal kosher salt

14 grams sugar

2 grams instant yeast (⅔ teaspoon)

40 grams olive oil

For topping 

3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning blend (optional)

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over top, then pour warm water and olive oil directly into the center of the dry ingredients. Mix with your hands or a sturdy wire dough hook until completely combined. The dough will be sticky and very messy. With a damp hand grab a corner of the dough and stretch it over itself. Rotate the bowl and repeat to gather the dough in a loose ball in the center.

Cover and rest 5 minutes.

Dampen your hands and repeat the folding process, grabbing a corner of the dough, stretching it away and then down over the center of the dough. Rotate the bowl and repeat with each side of the dough.

Cover and rest 15 minutes.

While the dough rests, spray a 9x13" high-sided baking pan with non-stick spray, making sure to get the sides too. Drizzle 1 tablespoon oil in the center, and tilt the pan to spread the oil out.

Repeat the folding process one more time. The dough should be much smoother, stronger, and stretchier this time.

On the final fold, flip the dough over so the seam side is down. Then slide the folded dough out of the bowl and into the oiled baking pan.

Cover and rest 8-12 hours at room temperature.

An hour before you plan to bake the focaccia, preheat the oven to 400°F. The focaccia should have relaxed and filled out the pan and look bubbly and jiggle slightly if you shake the pan. If it hasn't filled out the pan, use oiled fingers to gently lift and stretch the dough into the corners. Cover and place the pan on top of the stove while the oven preheats. The ambient warmth will give the yeast one last boost before baking.

30 minutes before baking, top and dimple the focaccia. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the surface of the focaccia. Use your fingers to gently rub it around, then poke your fingers straight down until they hit the bottom of the pan. Repeat this all over the dough. Don't overdo it — you don't want to knock all the air out! Finish with fresh rosemary, herbs, freshly cracked black pepper, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Cover and let rise until ready to bake.

Bake. Bake the focaccia for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top. If it browns unevenly, rotate the pan after 20 minutes and bake a few minutes more. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely (or almost completely) before serving.