Focaccia Bread

Directions

• Add water and sugar to your stand mixer bowl, mix
• Sprinkle yeast overtop, set aside for 5 minutes while yeast activates and foams
• In another bowl, mix you flour and salt
• Use dough hook attachment, place bowl on stand mixer and start on low
• Add the flour and let mix for a few minutes, till you get a shaggy ball of dough
• Increase speed to Med-Low and knead for 10 minutes, till you get a sticky smooth ball.
• Using a greased spatula, pour the dough into an olive oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel and set aside, allowing dough to double in size. (~1 & 1/2 hours in an oven set to “Proof”
• Brush a 9×13-inch baking dish* with another 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Uncover the dough and rub your hands with olive oil. As best you can, slide your hand under one edge of the dough and fold it into itself. Continue working your way around the edge of the bowl, folding the dough into itself, until you have a rough ball that you can lift from the bowl.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and turn to coat in the oil. Press the dough to the pan’s edges. Let it relax and pull away from the edges, then press it to the edges again. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside to rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes. 30 minutes into this rise, preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Remove the plastic wrap and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dough. Rub your hands with olive oil, then use your fingers to make indentations across the surface of the dough, pressing through the dough to the pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and rosemary, if desired. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.