Garlic Bread Focaccia

Step 1

Add warm water to a medium mixing bowl. Add the yeast and sugar and whisk to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes. Top should become foamy.

Step 2

Meanwhile, add the flour and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Whisk to incorporate the salt into the flour. Add the water/yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Knead on low speed for 6 minutes. Dough should be stretchy and should pull away from the sides of the bowl. If you don't have a stand mixer, this can be done by hand.

Step 3

Add dough to a large olive-oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Step 4

Remove dough from fridge. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to a 9x13 metal baking pan/cake pan. Spread the oil evenly on the bottom of the pan. Add the dough, stretching it out as much as you can to the edges of the pan. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Once 15 minutes has passed, dough should be more malleable. Use your fingertips to stretch the dough out to the edges the rest of the way. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 3 hours.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 450℉. Once oven has preheated, let sit at 450℉ for a good 5-10 minutes to ensure oven is super hot. Remove plastic wrap from pan, and drizzle the top of the dough with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Use your fingertips to create dimples all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle with a few pinches of flaky sea salt. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until top and sides of the focaccia are deeply golden brown.

Step 6

While focaccia is baking, make the garlic butter. Heat the butter in a small saucepan/skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or so, until fragrant and the garlic just begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat immediately, and transfer to a heatproof bowl.

Step 7

Pour garlic butter all over the top of the focaccia, using a pastry brush to evenly distribute the butter all over the top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and finish with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano. Let cool the remainder of the way on a wire rack to keep the sides and bottom crispy, or slice and devour warm!