Overnight Focaccia

Does anyone else have a spouse who eats as if someone is standing behind them waiting to snatch a french fry from their plate the minute they look away?  I'm not trying to throw him under the bus, but my husband eats with such gusto that it's not uncommon for him to not look up from his plate until it's empty.  There's so little time between bites that any discussion outside of "pass the ketchup" is usually out of the question at mealtime.  🤣  

I've tried to get to the root of his accelerated eating and I have absolutely no answers.  He's had this style of eating for as long as I can remember - and I've known this man since he was 10!   He's never lived in an environment where food was limited or been in a situation where he was required to eat quickly but he eats every meal as though it is his last. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I give my poor husband grief about being a speed eater but I would not categorize myself as a slow eater, by any means.  My competitive spirit keeps me engaged in the race to keep pace with my husbands accelerated eating.  😅  I do have to remind myself to put my fork down between bites, to take time to enjoy and appreciate every forkful and to relax and enjoy the mealtime experience.  

​I feel like the time that I devote to preparing a meal is directly proportional to the appreciation that I have for it.  I can devour a turkey sandwich that I slap together for lunch in under 2 minutes.  But if I spend several days, preparing, kneading, rising and shaping a bread dough - you better believe that I am going to appreciate every single bite.  🥖

I realize that the thought of making a bread over the course of two days is daunting for most people.  But I promise you that this Overnight Focaccia is easier than you think.  Other than a minimal amount of hands on time prepping and kneading the dough, most of time is spend rising and proofing which doesn't involve any work from you.  And if you've got a Kitchen mixer or a food processor that can do the kneading for you - it's even more hands off.  

It goes without saying that Overnight Focaccia is the perfect accompaniment to almost any Italian meal. 🍝 But you might not have thought about serving focaccia as an appetizer.  It's goes great with cheeses and olives.  It also makes great sandwiches.  And if you've never had a warm focaccia sandwich with turkey, Swiss and avocado - you're missing out.  

Overnight Focaccia
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast
2 cups water
​olive oil
coarse salt
​fresh rosemary

Whisk together flour, salt and yeast.

Stir in water with a rubber scraper.

Transfer dough to glass bowl and cover the surface with olive oil. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12-36 hours. 

Remove dough from frig and transfer to an oiled 9x13" pan.  

Let sit 2-4 hours.

Drizzle 2 T. oil over dough.  

Sprinkle with coarse salt and rosemary. 

Press fingers straight down into dough to dimple. 

Transfer to a preheated 425 oven immediately and bake 25 minutes.

Lift out of pan with a spatula.

Slice into squares.

If you want to fill your kitchen with the smell of fresh-baked bread but you're nervous about shaping and working with a starter, focaccia is the best place to begin. This homemade focaccia requires minimal baking skills but still provides ample opportunity amaze yourself by the wonders of yeast.  Letting the dough do its first rise in the fridge produces the most deliciously, bubbly bread.  This focaccia is worth a try for sure.  

Ciao!

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