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For those inexperienced with breadmaking, like myself, focaccia is a great place to start. And if you haven’t experienced the joy of eating homemade bread fresh from the oven, you most definitely should. I’m looking forward to making this again with all kinds of toppings (especially when it’s tomato season) but for now, the “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning from Trader Joe’s is a pretty great choice.

I was having a lazy Sunday over the weekend and decided I may as well use my being at home to make something that required a little bit of time. My husband was downloading something on our PS4—which gives off some heat when it’s on—and that is when I had the brilliant idea to use our media cabinet to proof the dough. So if you’ve got a place where you store your gaming consoles and electronics, put your dough in it to proof, and you’ll also have something to do while you wait!

This recipe was adapted from Gimme Some Oven.

Ingredients

2/3 cup warm water*
1 tsp honey
1 tsp instant yeast
1 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
lots of olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves picked
1–2 tsp “everything but the bagel” seasoning
pinch of salt

* I have found that hot water from my tap works well for blooming yeast.

Procedure

In the bowl of your stand mixer, gently combine water, honey, and yeast. Allow the yeast to “bloom” for 5–10 minutes in a warm place until there is a fine foam on top.

Fit your stand mixer with the dough hook. Set the mixer to low speed and gradually add 1 3/4 cups flour, then 1/8 cup olive oil and salt. Turn up the speed of the mixer to medium-low and allow the dough to be kneaded for 4 minutes. If the dough has not pulled away from the sides of the bowl, add an additional 1 tablespoon of flour. Continue to knead for 1–2 minutes. Dough should be sticky but you should be able to easily remove it from the dough hook.

Generously coat the inside of medium mixing bowl with olive oil. Pull the dough off the hook and form a ball. Roll the ball of dough around in the olive oil until coated. Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm spot to proof for 45–60 minutes, until it has doubled in size.

Coat the inside of a 10-inch cast iron skillet with olive oil. Turn the risen dough into the skillet and use your fingers to gently press down on the dough, forming an even layer in the bottom of the skillet. Cover with the damp towel again, and continue to proof the dough for 20 more minutes.

Meanwhile, place a rack one-third from the top of your oven and preheat to 400°F.

Use your finger or a chopstick to poke lots of holes in the dough—they should go all the way down through the dough. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil all over the surface. Sprinkle with seasoning and rosemary leaves. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Slice and eat it as soon as you dare to touch it without burning your fingers.