Ligurian Focaccia
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
• 2½ cups (600 grams)
lukewarm water
• ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2½ teaspoons (15 grams)
honey
• 5 1/3 cups (800 grams) all-
purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (18 grams)
Diamond Crystal Kosher
salt or 1 tablespoon fine sea
salt
• ¼ cup (50 grams) extra-
virgin olive oil, plus more for
pan and finishing
• Flaky salt for finishing
For the brine:
• 1½ teaspoons (5 grams)
Diamond Crystal Kosher
Salt
• ⅓ cup (80 grams) lukewarm
water
NOTES
• As ever with breads, rise time
will depend on the
temperature and humidity of
your kitchen.
To store, wrap in parchment and then keep in an airtight bag or container to preserve texture.
Gently toast or reheat any leftover focaccia before serving. Alternatively, wrap tightly to freeze,
then defrost and reheat before serving.
PREPARATION
• Stir together water, yeast, and honey to dissolve. In
a very large bowl, whisk flour and salt together to
combine and then add yeast mixture and olive oil.
Stir with a rubber spatula until just incorporated,
then scrape the sides of the bowl clean and cover
with plastic wrap. Leave out at room temperature for
12 to 14 hours until at least doubled in volume.
• Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons oil evenly onto a 46-
by-33 cm baking sheet. Use your hand to release it
and pour out onto pan. Pour an additional 2
tablespoons of olive oil over dough and gently
spread across. Gently stretch the dough to the edge
of the sheet by placing your hands underneath and
pulling outward.  The dough will shrink a bit, so
repeat stretching to ensure dough remains
stretched.
• Dimple the dough by pressing the pads of your first
three fingers in at an angle. Make the brine by
stirring together salt and water until salt is dissolved.
Pour the brine over the dough to fill dimples.  Proof
focaccia for 45 minutes until the dough is light and
bubbly.
• Thirty minutes into this final proof, adjust rack to
center position and preheat oven to 235°C. Place
another sturdy baking sheet on rack. Allow to
preheat with the oven until very hot.
• Sprinkle focaccia with flaky salt. Bake for 25 to 30
minutes (only down) until bottom crust is crisp and
golden brown when checked with a metal spatula.
 To finish browning top crust, place focaccia on
upper rack and bake on top for 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Remove from oven and brush or douse with 2 to 3
tablespoons oil over the whole surface. Let cool for
5 minutes, then release focaccia from pan with
metal spatula and transfer to a cooling rack to cool
completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.  
 Authentic Sameday Focaccia (big)
INGREDIENTS
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dried
yeast
• 1 3/4 (437.5 ml) cup warm
water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 5 cups (625 g)all-purpose
flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons quality extra
virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Pitted Kalamata
Olives rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup (54 g) extra virgin
olive oil (more for drizzling)
• Fresh coarsely chopped
rosemary leaves for topping
• A few tips of rosemary
sprigs for topping garnish
• Coarse sea salt (fleur de sel
for topping)
NOTES
• As ever with breads, rise time
will depend on the
temperature and humidity of
your kitchen.
To store, wrap in parchment and then keep in an airtight bag or container to preserve texture.
Gently toast or reheat any leftover focaccia before serving. Alternatively, wrap tightly to freeze,
then defrost and reheat before serving.
PREPARATION
• Combine the yeast, water and sugar in a bowl
and let it sit in a warm place for about 15
minutes until frothy.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook,
combine the flour, salt, olive oil and yeast
mixture on low speed until the dough comes
together, then increase to medium speed and
continue to knead for another 5-7 minutes until
the texture becomes smooth and soft. If the
dough is too sticky add a little more flour.
• Remove the dough, spray the mixer bowl with
olive oil, return the dough, cover the bowl
loosely with plastic wrap and put it in a warm,
draft-free place to rise for at least 1 hour or until
doubled in size.
• Coat a standard 40 x 25 cm sheet pan with the
1/4 cup of olive oil. Place the dough on the
sheet pan, pulling and pressing it with your
hands it to spread it across to fit the size of the
pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the
dough rise for another 60 minutes or until
doubled in size. Towards the end, preheat the
oven to 218ºC.
• Use your fingertips to press lots of deep dimples
into the dough then drizzle generously with olive
oil, letting the oil pool in the dimples. Place the
olives throughout some of the dimples, sprinkle
generously with rosemary leaves and a few
rosemary sprig tips and some coarse salt.
• Bake on the middle shelf for 15-20 minutes or
until the top is light golden brown. Let it cool for
a couple of minutes before slicing into squares.
Best served immediately while the crust is still
warm and crispy.