If you’re looking for a bread to change up your Thanksgiving recipe this year, this is a must try. Crispy and craggy and loads of flavor with a soft crumb, this focaccia has everything you want in a homemade bread.
Combine water, yeast and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for a few minutes until the yeast is active and bubbly.
Add in salt, herbs, and 1/2 cup olive oil. Then start to mix in the flour in 1 cup batches. Five cups should leave you with a soft dough. It’s okay if it’s a little sticky but if it’s really sticking to the bowl, add more flour by the quarter cup until it’s soft.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and let dough sit and rise for 90 minutes until it at least doubles in size or store it in the fridge overnight (if you do it overnight, pull it out at least 30 minutes before you shape it so the chill can come off it).
When ready to shape, add about 1/3 cup of oil to a sheet pan or jelly roll pan. It’ll seem like a lot of oil (and we will add more later) but it’s good! Start pressing the dough into the pan, really stretching it into the corners. It’s good to poke through the dough with your fingers, leaving little holes. If the dough is hard to stretch, let the dough sit in the pan for five minutes to relax and then try stretching it again.
Once you get the dough all the way to the edges of the pan with lots of tears and bumps along the way, drizzle more olive oil on top and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. and let dough rise for a second time in the pan for 30-45 minutes.
Bake focaccia at 425 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes until it’s golden brown around the edges and browned on top. Remove and let cool before slicing and serving.