Garden Focaccia
Makes 1 (13x9-inch) loaf
Ingredients
- 2½ cups water, room temperature (70° to 75°)
- 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 6 cups bread flour
- 5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 (0.25-ounce) package instant yeast
- 5 small summer tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
- Flaked sea salt
- 6 ounces sliced fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
- Torn fresh basil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 2½ cups room temperature water and 3 tablespoons oil. Add flour, kosher salt, and yeast, and stir until a soft dough forms; scrape sides of bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours.
- Brush a 13x9-inch baking pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Place dough in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°) until dough fills pan, about 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 450°.
- Drizzle dough with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and dimple using your fingertips, touching pan through dough without tearing dough. Top with tomatoes and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 425°, and bake until bread is deep golden brown about 10 to 15 minutes, adding mozzarella the last 5 minutes of bake time. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm, or let cool completely on a wire rack. Top with fresh basil.
