170gramsactive 100% hydration starterfed, doubled and bubbly
305gramswarm water
¼cupolive oil - the best quality you can use!
460gramsbread flour
2tspsea salt
1Tablespoonhoney
Topping:
4TBSPolive oil - high quality!
2Tablespoonsmelted butter
1TBSPcoarse sea salt
2clovesgarlicfinely minced
2teaspoonsdried oregano
1teaspooncoarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the starter, warm water, olive oil, flour and sea salt.
Switch to a dough hook and knead until it becomes a smooth pliable ball of dough. It should pull away from the side of the bowl and hold itself. It will take about 3-5 minutes of mixing on low speed.
Grease a large mixing bowl, place the dough in it, cover, and allow to proof for 4-6 hours. (The time will depend on the strength of your starter and the temperature of your house). The dough needs to be doubled.
Prepare a baking sheet by adding 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a 9x13 baking dish and coating evenly. Place the dough onto the baking dish.
Gently use your fingers to fold the dough envelope style from top to bottom and side to side to create a rough rectangle.
Turn the dough over so the seam side is down.
Use your fingers to gently stretch the dough to be about 1.5 inches to 2 inches tall. It won’t fill the pan, and that is ok.
Rub the top of the dough with more olive oil.
Allow the dough to rest for 3-5 hours at room temperature, until puffy and nearly doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 425F.
Use your fingers to indent the surface of the dough and stretch the dough to fit the pan. Be gentle when indenting, you don’t want to deflate the focaccia, but you do want your fingers to go down to the bottom of the pan.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the bread is golden and crusty.
While baking, mix together melted butter, finely minced garlic, salt, pepper, and dried oregano.
When you pull the focaccia out of the oven, immediately brush with the melted butter mixture.
Place the bread on a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature (or at least 20 minutes), cut into squares and serve with olive oil for dipping.