Focaccia

INGREDIENTS

4 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 TB honey

2 cups lukewarm water

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the dough: In a large bowl, sprinkle the dry yeast over the lukewarm water. Stir in honey and let the yeast froth for about 15 minutes. Stir in salt, olive oil, and flour. Mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Cover and let rest 10-15 minutes. Wet h your hands with water and stretch and fold each of the four edges of the dough over itself. Repeat two more times after letting dough rest in between stretches. Cover and let dough rise at room temperature until double in size. Wet hands and stretch and fold the four corners again. Rub the surface of the dough lightly with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel, cloth bowl cover, or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator immediately for at least 12 hours or up to 3 days. NOTE: It is important the dough really be slicked with olive oil especially if you are using a cloth bowl cover or tea towel as opposed to plastic wrap or a hard lid. If you are using a tea towel, consider securing it with a rubber band to make a more airtight cover. If you do not slick the dough with enough oil, you risk the dough drying out and forming a crust over the top layer. 
2. Coat 9x13” pan or jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil in the center of the 9×13-inch or jelly roll pan and rub with your fingers to coat the pan. Deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it toward the center. Rotate the bowl in quarter turns as you deflate, turning the mass into a rough ball. Roll the dough ball in the oil to coat it all over. Stretch gently to fit dough to the pan. Cover and let the dough rise for 3 to 4 hours. Preheat oven to 400° F. In a cup, mix 3 TB lukewarm water with 3 TB olive oil. Pour on top of dough and rub to coat the entire surface of the dough. Rub your hands lightly in olive oil or water to coat, then using all of your fingers, press straight down to create deep dimples. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt all over the top of the dimpled dough. Let rest and rise for about 15 minutes, until the dough’s fluffy and bubbly. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process. Bake until the focaccia is golden and crisp. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.