Contributed by Rachel & Brendan (From Peter Reinhart’s “Artisan Breads Every Day”)

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups (567 g) unbleached bread flour
• 1 3/4 tsp (11 g) salt, or 2 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
• 1 1/4 tsp (4 g) instant dry yeast
• 2 cups chilled water
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for the pan

Combine the flour, salt, yeast & water in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment & mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon & stir for 1 minute, until well blended. The dough should be coarse & wet. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour.

Drizzle the olive oil over the dough, then resume mixing on medium-low speed using the paddle attachment, or by hand using a large wet spoon or wet hands, for 1 minute. The dough should become smoother but still be very soft, sticky & wet. Use a wet bowl scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap & let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, reach into the bowl with wet or oiled hands, grab the front end of the dough, stretch it out, fold it back onto the top of the dough. Then do this from the back end & from each side. Flip the dough over & tuck it into a ball. The dough should be significantly firmer, though still very soft & fragile. Cover the bowl & let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Repeat the folding process three more times, completing all repetitions within 30-40 minutes. (This is how you build gluten in such a soft dough.) After the last stretch & fold, cover the bowl with plastic wrap & refrigerate for up to 4 days (or pan it immediately as described below).

Line a 12 x 16-inch sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Oil it generously, including the sides, with about 2 Tbsp olive oil, then transfer the dough to the pan. Drizzle another Tbsp of oil over the top of the dough, use your fingertips to dimple the dough & spread it to cover about half of the pan. Make sure the top of the dough is coated with oil, cover the pan (not the dough) tightly with plastic wrap. Warm the oven for just a few minutes, then turn it off; or, if you have a gas oven with a pilot light, it’s warm enough without heating.  Place pan in oven for 5-10 minutes.

After resting in the oven, drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the surface of the dough &, beginning in the center & working toward the sides, dimple the dough with your fingertips to spread it over more of the pan. The dough will start resisting & sliding back toward the center after a minute of this; stop dimpling at that point. It should be covering 70-80% of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap & put back in the warm oven (with heat off!) for 5-10 minutes. Repeat a third time. After the 3^rd dimpling, the dough should cover more than 90% of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap & let it rise at room temperature until it’s approximately 1 inch high (~1-1 ½ hours).

Preheat the oven to 500°. Top the focaccia with some of the herbed oil (see below). Place the pan in the oven & lower the temperature to 450°, bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan & bake for another 10-15 minutes until the top of the dough is golden brown. To test for doneness, lift the edge of the focaccia so you can see the underside; it should be a mottled golden brown in spots, not white all over. When you remove the focaccia from the oven, run a pastry blade or metal spatula along the sides of the pan to loosen the focaccia, then carefully slide the focaccia, parchment & all, onto a wire rack to cool. If any olive oil remains in the pan, pour it over the top of the focaccia. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Herbed oil:

• 2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp dried basil
• 2 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp granulated garlic powder, or 10 cloves fresh garlic, pressed & lightly sautéed in the 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt or coarse sea salt
• ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp chili flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp sweet or hot paprika (optional)

In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Let it sit at room temperature for 2 hours before using.

Note: You will NOT need the full 2 cups of oil for the focaccia bread recipe above. Just scoop/pour/spread enough onto the focaccia dough so that the top of the bread is well oiled & herbed. Save the rest for more focaccia or toss in freshly cooked pasta or dip fresh bread in it. It’s wonderful stuff!