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Recipe below! Even if it’s your first time breadmaking, you can follow along this fantastic, fluffy, no-knead focaccia recipe from professional baker Anna Olson! This bread is easy to make and follows the no-knead method of making a highly hydrated dough and giving it time to slowly proof. The end result is a soft, airy, flavourable bread that can be enjoyed on its own, and is great for grilling or for making sandwiches.

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• Recipe •
Makes one 9-x-13-inch (23-x-33 cm) pan
Enough for 8 sandwiches or 16 servings

Prep time: 15 minutes, plus rising
Cook time: 30 minutes

Focaccia is best served the day it’s baked, but leftover bread can be stored, well-wrapped on the counter for up to 2 days, and grilled, toasted or warmed in the oven for serving. It can also be frozen

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• Ingredients •

4 cups (600 g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp coarse sea salt
1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
¾ tsp instant dry yeast
2 ¼ cups (530 mL) tepid water
6 Tbsp (90 mL) extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp semolina or cornmeal (optional)
18-24 cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)

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• Directions •

1. Stir the flour, salt and yeast together in a large bowl. Add the water and stir this with a wooden spoon until you get a rough, wet dough and when dry flour is no longer visible – the dough will be very sticky.

2. Pour 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of the olive oil into a medium bowl and swirl it around to coat it. Transfer the dough to this bowl. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set it on the counter.

3. Let the dough rise for 2 hours on the counter and over the course of that time, fold the dough over itself 4 times, every 30 minutes. To do this, tuck your fingers under the dough down the side of the bowl and pull the dough up and over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat this 3 more times, for a total of 4 folds. Sprinkle the top of the dough with semolina or cornmeal (if you wish). Cover the bowl again and refrigerate it for 24-36 hours – it will slowly double in size.

4. Drizzle the bottom of a 9-x-13-inch (23-x-33 cm) pan with 2 Tbsp (30 mL) more of the olive oil. Uncover the dough and gently tip the dough into the pan and use your fingertips to press the dough out to the edges, to fill the pan. Don’t worry if it springs back a little initially. Once the dough relaxes (and then bakes), it fills in the corners. Cover again with a tea towel and let rise on the counter for 2 hours.

5. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Uncover the focaccia and drizzle the remaining 2 Tbsp (30 mL) of olive oil. Gently use your hands to spread the oil and then use your fingertips to dimple the focaccia, or if using the tomatoes, press them into the top of the bread, creating dimples. Bake the bread for about 30 minutes until the top of the bread is a rich golden brown (the bubbles may turn a darker brown). Slide the focaccia out of the pan using the parchment paper and let the bread cool for as long as your patience will allow on a rack.