Milk Street's Tomato Olive Focaccia (The Ridiculously Easy Way!)

For the dough:

1. Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl (at least 10 cups). Stir well with a sturdy spatula, Danish whisk or a wooden spoon to combine.
2. Add approximately half of the water (no need to measure), the honey and the two tablespoons of olive oil. Stir well to incorporate the wet ingredients. The mixture will be shaggy and dry at this point.
3. Add the remaining water and stir again until the water is well incorporated. If the mixture seems dry, add an additional tablespoon or two of water and stir to combine. You’re looking for a thick, shaggy, fluffy wet dough with no pockets of dry flour.
4. Drizzle the dough ball with a little more olive oil and turn it a few times in the bowl to coat.

For rising:

1. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, cozy spot for 30 minutes. (See The Café Tips in the post above for suggestions on creating a good place for dough to rise.)
2. After 30 minutes, remove the cover and, using either a large spatula or slightly we hands, pick up one side of the dough, stretch it, and then fold it over onto the rest. Turn the bowl one-quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold. Repeat the stretch and fold 4-5 more times, turning the bowl one-quarter each time.
3. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise again for one hour.
4. During the one-hour rise, use a piece of paper toweling and rub a teaspoon of butter over the bottom and sides of each pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, then rub a half teaspoon of butter over the parchment paper in each pan.
5. Lastly, drizzle each pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and rub it with your hand or a spatula to cover the parchment-lined bottom. Set aside.
6. After the one-hour rise, repeat the stretching and folding described in step 2 above, then divide the dough into two equal portions and place them in the prepared pans. Flip the dough balls over to coat them with oil and flatten them out with your hand in the pans. The dough won’t cover the entire pan at this point, but flatten it out as much as you can. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside (back in your the warm area) to rise again for 30 minutes.
7. When the 30-minute rise in the pan is completed, drizzle the dough in each pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Using your fingers and starting at the center of the dough in one pan, dimple and stretch it towards one side. You’re trying to evenly fill the pan to the edge and into the corners. (Don’t be afraid to be aggressive with your dimpling. You need to reach your fingers down to the bottom of the pan. Deep dimpling creates focaccia’s signature peaks and valleys and prevents the texture from disappearing during the baking time.)
8. Return to the center and dimple and stretch the dough out towards the opposite edge. If the dough seems resistant at any point, let it rest for a few minutes, then try again.

For the topping:

1. Top each focaccia with half of the tomatoes and half of the olives. Sprinkle each pan with 1 teaspoon dried oregano and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Drizzle each pan lightly with a bit more olive oil, trying to get a little oil on each tomato.
2. Set the pans back in your warm area to rise for 25-30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 475˚F.

To bake:

1. Bake on the center rack in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove the pans from the oven and set on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
2. Using and angled metal spatula, remove the focaccia loaves from the pans to the cooling rack. Discard the parchment paper.
3. Cool for 30 minutes before slicing and devouring.

To store:

1. Store in a zippered bag. It also freezes well. I like to slice in in 1-1½-inch strips before freezing so I can pull out as many pieces as I want without thawing the whole thing.