The Easiest Focaccia Bread

• 500gr bread flour (at least 12% proteïne content)
• 5gr instant yeast
• 430gr lukewarm water
• 5gr honey
• 15gr olive oil
• 10gr fine sea salt
• Toppings of choice

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1. Combine your flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. 
2. Combine your honey, lukewarm water and yeast and leave to sit for 2 minutes
3. Add the yeast mixture to the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir together until it forms a shaggy dough. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rest for 10 minutes
4. Now it’s time to perform the stretch and folds. To do this, wet your hands, then take a section of the dough and stretch it up and fold it onto itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretches. Repeat this so you have done 8 stretches and folds in total and have gone around the bowl twice.
5. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rest for another 10 minutes
6. Perform a second set of 8 stretches and folds like in step 4
7. Lightly oil the top of your dough and cover your bowl in cling film. Place your dough in the fridge for 8+ hours. 
8. Take your dough out of the fridge the next day. Don’t knock the air out! We want to keep the air bubbles that were formed overnight. Generously grease a pan. I use a rectangular one of 35x24x5cm
9. Carefully drop the dough into the pan. Grease your hands so the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers. Carefully lift up the long end of your dough and fold it onto itself, repeat this on the other side. Then pick up the dough from the middle and tuck the short ends underneath the dough. You should end up with a square packet of dough that is evenly thick 
10. Cover the pan with a sheet pan and leave the dough to rest and rise outside of the fridge for around 2 hours
11. After 2 hours, the dough should have spread neatly to the corners of the pan. If it hasn’t, carefully help the dough a little by pulling the dough from underneath to the edges of the pan
12. Dimple the dough using your fingers and top the focaccia to your liking. You can add olives, tomatoes, chilli paste, and herbs such as oregano, basil, rosemary or thyme. Always add a little extra olive oil on top before baking and sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt
13. Bake the focaccia at 200C for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through

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