Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 package active dried yeast
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Preparation
Step 1
1. In the measuring cup, stir the honey into the warm water until it dissolves. Whisk in the yeast and let bloom until foamy, 5 minutes. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
2. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and sea salt. Stir well to thoroughly mix them together.
3. Add the honey, water, yeast and olive oil mixture to the dry ingredients all at once and mix at medium speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and not at all sticky.
4. Turn the dough out and knead by hand for 3 minutes. Gather the dough into a ball and place in a bowl oiled with the remaining tablespoon of oil. Flip the dough around to coat it with the oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
5. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3 minutes. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover and let rise until doubled again, 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 450F. When the dough has doubled the second time, it may be divided in half to make two loaves or kept as one large loaf. At this point, the dough is ready to stretch onto the baking sheet or sheets and prepared for baking. Dimple the dough with a finger and add any toppings, such as cheese, herbs, tomatoes or a drizzle of olive oil. Allow the dough to rest and rise around the toppings for 15-20 minutes before baking.
7. Bake at 450F for 10-20 minutes depending on desired doneness; moist and fluffy focaccia will be done in 10 minutes, while a crispier and darker loaf will take 20 minutes. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and let cool for 15 minutes.