crispy focaccia bread

Focaccia bread is a staple at many of my dinner parties. Fresh out of the oven, it makes everybody smile. The smell of freshly chopped rosemary gets the party going. All you need is a handful of "pantry staples" and a few hours for the dough to rise. Olinda olive oil adds flavor and helps create the crispy focaccia bread.

3 ½-4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1.5 teaspoon instant yeast

1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2-3 cups of warm water, approximately 95 degrees F

3 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped

Flaky sea salt, optional, to taste

Extra virgin olive oil, such as Olinda

Add 3.5 cups of flour, yeast and salt to a large bowl and mix well with a large spoon. Add 2-3 cups warm water until you reach a pancake batter consistency. Add more or less water, as needed. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a damp dish towel until doubled in size, about one hour and 30 mins.

Once doubled in size, wet your hands so that the dough does not stick to your hands. Gather each edge of the dough and fold it towards the center, one side at a time until all edges are folded into the center. Cover the bowl again and let rise up until the size it was before you folded in the edges, about 30 minutes.

Prepare a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, coating the bottom and sides. A smaller pan will yield a thicker focaccia while a large one will yield a thinner focaccia. Turn the focaccia dough out on the baking sheet. With oiled hands, gently stretch the dough until it almost covers the whole pan. Let dough rest about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using oiled hands, make dimples in the dough. Sprinkle with rosemary and flaky sea salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 45 minutes or so until golden brown. Using metal spatula, lift the focaccia from the pan being sure to scrape the sides from the pan. Reheat in a 300 F oven if needed!