(Fun fact: in Italian recipes, q.b., or quanto basta, means adding as much of that ingredient as feels right to you or fits your taste. It is a little abbreviation that provides big happy for my intuitive cooking heart.)
INGREDIENTS:
5 cups of flour (bread or all-purpose)
1 tablespoon of honey or sugar
1 teaspoon of fine salt (for dough)
2 cups of warm (but not hot) water
2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
4 teaspoons of olive oil (plus more for top)
q.b. coarse salt of salt flakes
q.b. rosemary
1.To begin, combine your water, yeast, 4 teaspoons of olive oil, and honey or sugar in a bowl. Mix with a spoon until the yeast is completely dissolved. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt (or be like m
e and accidentally dump salt directly into the yeast bowl, then cross your fingers for the next two hours that the yeast still activates).
2.Slowly add the flour to the yeast mixture, mixing well with a spoon as you go. The dough is high-hydration—with a high water-to-flour ratio— so it should be relatively easy to blend. You may have to work the mixture by hand to create a truly homogenous dough.
3.Keep the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, allowing it to proof for 20 minutes, then fold the dough, pulling the edges out and then into the center. Complete this process two more times ten minutes apart. Cover the dough in the bowl with a dish towel and allow to rise for two hours.
4.When the dough has approximately doubled in size, place it on a floured surface and divide it into 16 pieces. Shape the focaccine and place th
em on an oiled baking pan. Cover and allow to proof for another 30 minutes.
5.Pour a little olive oil (q.b! I probably used about a teaspoon per piece) on the focaccine and work in with your fingertips. Sprinkle the focaccine with coarse salt or salt flakes and the rosemary.
6.Bake for 12-15 minutes at 480F.
Buon appetito!
Comments