I cook a lot. And I like cooking. The pandemic hasn’t made me yearn for restaurants or do a lot of takeout (though I do worry about my friends who work in restaurants). I just keep on cooking. Periodically, I thought it would be fun to throw a recipe into the blog, something that wowed me or was just do tasty. This recipe is simple, satisfying and delicious. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Fast Focaccia

• 1 ½ cups plus 2 T lukewarm water
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 ½ t (8 g) dried instant yeast
• 2 ¼ t (16 g) kosher salt
• 1 T (11 g) sugar
• 3 ¾ cups (511 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 t finely chopped rosemary (double, if making the 9”x13” version)
• Coarse or flaky salt for sprinkling

Use a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula to stir together the water, half the oil (2 T), the yeast, kosher salt, sugar, and flour in a large (5-6 quart) bowl, forming a rough dough. Transfer to a container with a lid; partially cover and let rest for 2 hours. The dough can be used right away, but it is much easier to handle once it has been thoroughly chilled. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Place a baking stone on the middle oven rack. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Pour 2 T of oil into a 9-inch round cake pan, if using half the dough. If using all the dough, add more oil to make ¼ cup and pour onto a 9-by-13-inch metal cake pan.

Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough lightly with flour. If using 9-inch cake pan, divide the dough in half, refrigerating the half not used. On the counter, dust the dough you are using with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides.

Use your hands to flatten the dough into a ½-inch thick ball. Place the dough top side down in the cake pan, moving it around to coat with oil. It will not fill to the edges of the pan. Turn the dough over, cover the pan with plastic wrap and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

Use your hands to gently push the dough to the edges of the cake pan. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse or flaky salt. Cover with plastic wrap and all the dough to rise for 20 minutes.

Place the cake pan on the heated baking stone in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the focaccia crust is medium-brown and feels dry on the surface.

Use a rounded knife to loosen the bread from the edges of the pan, the transfer to a cutting board. Cut and serve warm.

Source: The Washington Post