Step 1

Start by stirring lukewarm water, yeast, and honey in a medium bowl with a whisk. Wait for about 5 minutes until the mixture becomes frothy, signalling that the yeast is ready.

Step 2

In a different large bowl, whisk flour and salt. Then, pour in the yeast mixture, stirring with a spoon or your hands to form a wet, sticky dough without dry spots. Cover the bowl with plastic or a damp cloth for 10 minutes.

Step 3

Afterwards, with damp hands, stretch a piece of the dough and fold it across itself. Turn the bowl and repeat this action three more times, covering the dough again for another 10 minutes. This is the stretch and fold method and it will strengthen your dough.

Step 4

Repeat this stretching and folding process until the dough shapes into a ball.

Step 5

Coat a new bowl with 20g of olive oil, place the dough inside, and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Let it rest in the fridge between 18 to 72 hours; this is the first proof and the longer it proofs in the fridge, the tastier it will be!

Step 6

Take the dough out of the bowl and cut in half. As this recipe makes two sandwich loaves, we will need to roughly cut our dough in half. I use a bench scraper to do this.

Step 7

Oil a loaf tin with another 20g of olive oil. Move the dough there, gently stretching it to a rough rectangle, but not to the tin's edges—it will spread as it rises. Protect it with a damp cloth and let it rise for 2 hours in a warm spot.

Step 8

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F).

Step 9

After the rise, dimple the dough with your fingers. Sprinkle rosemary and olives, if using, on top, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, and season with flaky sea salt. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top.

Step 10

Allow the focaccia to cool slightly before removing it from the tin and transferring to a wire rack to rest for 30 minutes.

Step 11

Finally, it’s time to cut and enjoy the focaccia.