Focaccia is a two-day formula. On the first day, I mixed the flour, salt, yeast, olive oil, and water to make a smooth, sticky dough. As with other rustic doughs like ciabatta or pugliese, focaccia is not kneaded. Instead, it is allowed to rest for a few minutes on a bed of flour on the countertop, and then stretched and folded in thirds. The stretching and folding are repeated a half hour later, and then the dough is left to rise for an hour or so. I've really learned to enjoy this style of bread making. Once my dough had risen, I lined a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread olive oil all over it. I carefully transferred the dough to the pan and spooned about 1/4 cup of herb oil over it. Then, using my fingertips, I dimpled the dough, spreading it toward the edges of the pan. It was pretty fun and also quite fragrant. I then covered the bread and left it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, I spooned another 1/4 cup of herb oil over the bread and dimpled and spread it some more until it filled the pan. Then I covered it and let it proof at room temperature for three hours. I preheated the oven to 500, put in the bread, and then dropped the temperature to 450. The importance of that first burst of heat is something I have learned in my undertaking of this project. This bread baked for forty minutes and made my entire house smell fabulous.
This focaccia turned out pretty greasy, but oh, so good. J4 said it reminded him of deep dish pizza crust, which is completely appropriate since focaccia dough can be used to make pizza. The crust of this bread is flaky and the crumb is soft and pillowy. My focaccia turned out much thicker than PR says he prefers in his note, but I quite enjoyed the texture and I don't think it would have been that soft if it had been thinner. The herbs on top were a nice addition as well. Yum!
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