Focaccia 'bout it Bread

Focaccia bread is a great, oily, crusty deliciousness that you don't need to add butter to, unless you want to, but I'm not calling out my wife or anything.

This bread does take a while to rise, work, rise, so plan it ahead about 3hrs before you plan on eating!

Playlist: Imagine Dragons

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups 110-112 degree water

• 1 package active dry yeast (or just over two teaspoons)

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus coarse sea salt, for sprinkling

• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (divided into 2 half cups)

Here we go!

Combine the warm water (I aim for 112 degrees), yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Put the bowl in a warm, not hot or cool, place (Goldilocks that shit) until the yeast is bubbling and aromatic, at least 15 minutes, I like to go 25 or so, make sure you gotta good froth goin’ on. I do this right in my KitchenAid bowl, then add my other crap to it.

In the bowl of a KitchenAid fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour (sift it, dumbass), 1 tablespoon of coarse kosher salt, 1/2 cup olive oil and the yeast mixture on low speed. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 5 to 6 minutes on a medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft. Give it a sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky. You know what’s up. If you're too Gaddamn cheap to buy a fucking KitchenAid by now, enjoy those gains you get from kneading this by hand for about an hour.

Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured counter, then knead it by hand 1 or 2 times. Again, give it another sprinkle of flour if the dough is really sticky and tacky. Coat the inside of the mixer bowl lightly with olive oil and return the dough to the bowl. Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.

Coat a jelly roll pan with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. (This seems like a shitload, but focaccia is an oily crusted bread. This is why it is so good!)

Put the dough onto the jelly roll pan and begin pressing it out to fit the size of the pan. Don’t dump all the oil onto the counter like a spaz. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to fit the pan. Take your time. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. (This feel soooo good)

Put the dough in the warm place until it has doubled in size again, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising a second time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Brush the top with olive oil again, and liberally (only time liberal is a good thing) sprinkle the top of the focaccia with some coarse sea salt or coarse kosher salt. Bake the dough until the top of the loaf is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool before cutting and serving.

Oh baby