I am hesitant to say this is a no-fail focaccia, because baking is a fickle mistress at the best of times; but as long as your yeast is alive and you’ve got a warm space - you should be good! You can really top the focaccia with whatever you want, from everything bagel seasoning, traditional rosemary and sea salt, I love a thinly sliced potato with shallot or even chilli oil and lup cheong Milk Bar style.

As someone with minimal patience for something like sourdough starter and a week-long county loaf recipe, focaccia comparatively gives (almost) instant gratification.

Gluten free flour works here too, the biggest thing is to get a baking GF flour that has xanthan gum. Bobs Red Mill 1-to-1 or King Arthur GF are the BEST.

Ingredients:

380g bread flour
7g instant yeast (one sachet)
7g kosher salt
325ml warm water
1tsp honey
Olive oil

Instructions:

Step 1 -
In a small bowl or jug place 50ml of your warm water, tsp of honey and yeast in a bowl - stir and leave to combine. This is you feeding your yeast. Leave for 5 minutes. If your yeast isn’t frothy after leaving it, she is dead and you’ll have to get some new yeast.

Step 2 -
In a large bowl add your remaining water, yeast mixture. Pour over your flour and salt.

Stir to combine with a wooden spoon, and when the flour has mostly absorbed get in there with your hands and start to combine. Cover and leave for five minutes

Step 3 -
Uncover and knead in the bowl - slide your hand down the inside of the bowl and pull up a section of the dough and fold into the centre of the bowl, turning the bowl with each fold.

Keep repeating this process for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.

Pour some oil around the sides of the bowl and lift the dough ball and place back.

Cover and leave somewhere warm till doubled in size. Depending on how hot it is - this can be 45minutes to 2 hours. If its cold I like to turn the largest hob on the oven on for a minute, turn off and cover the bowl with glad wrap and then wrap in a tea towel and place on the warmish hob to get it going.

Step 4 -
When the dough has risen, oil your hands and lift the dough by sliding your hands underneath each side and meeting underneath and lifting up so the dough stretches and falls down either side, turn the bowl and repeat this.

Oil a baking tray or dish (for this amount of dough a 13x8inch works best)

Transfer the dough over and cover, leave to rise again till doubled in size, 45 - 90 minutes. If you wish you can leave the dough to rise in the fridge at this stage for 24 hours. If baking from the fridge, do let it come back to room temperature before moving to the next step.

Step 5 -
When the dough has risen, preheat your oven to 180 and prepare your toppings. Gently uncover the dough and with oiled hands dimple the dough then place your toppings on top. Sprinkle with some sea salt.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven. The bread should have a nice crust on it and feel hollow

Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the baking dish and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes:
- Gluten Free focaccia will take a longer bake time, up to an hour. It will likely be alot wetter and I do recommend letting this sit for 24 hours in the fridge while the yeast does the “gluten” lifting.
- Toppings should be soaked or dressed in olive oil to prevent from burning.