Glorious Garden Focaccia

Glorious Garden Focaccia

Ingredients

• 1 packet (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

• 1-1/4 cups warm water, divided

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (optional)

• Veggies and herbs to decorate

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, water and yeast mixture and stir until smooth. You can use your stand mixer if you like, but this dough will come together easily mixing by hand.

When your dough is well mixed, scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover and let the dough rise until it doubles in size. This is called proofing and should take about 45 minutes.

Coat the bottom of a 13×9 pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.

When the dough has proofed, gently scrape the focaccia dough into the pan. Oil your hands and spread dough so it covers the bottom of the pan.

After stretching the dough into the pan, make indentations using your fingertips. These divots will catch all the oil and give focaccia its signature appearance. When pressing into the dough, push until you feel the bottom of the pan (but don’t break through the dough to the pan itself). You want these dimples deep to catch the olive oil—they will become much shallower after proofing and baking.

Now is the fun part. Head out to your garden and see what fresh veggies are growing, or if you don't have a garden, look for interesting veggies at the grocery store or farmer's market. Use cherry tomatoes, peppers and fresh herbs to decorate the top of the bread. You can even use a few items from the fridge like olives. There are lots of good ideas to give you inspiration online.

Let the bread proof again. This time for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Bake the focaccia in a 425ºF oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The bread should look golden brown. Enjoy!!