Pesto and Bocconcini Sheet Pan Focaccia

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg bread flour
• 24 g cooking salt or kosher salt
• 100 ml olive oil, divided, plus extra for dimpling
• 14 g dry yeast
• 950 ml warm water, about 32°C / 90°F
• 100 ml basil pesto
• 200 g bambini bocconcini
• Big pinch flaky salt

Method

1. Add the warm water to a large bowl. Add the dry yeast and mix until dissolved, then add the salt and stir through.
2. Pour in about 2 tbsp / 30 ml olive oil, then add the bread flour. Mix until everything is incorporated and the flour is hydrated. This is a high-hydration dough, so it will be sticky rather than smooth. Cover with a tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.
3. With a wet hand, stretch one corner of the dough and fold it over itself. Repeat 3–4 times around the bowl until the dough has been folded over itself completely. Cover and rest for another 30 minutes.
4. Repeat the stretch-and-fold process three more times, resting 30 minutes between rounds. After the fourth and final round, let the dough rest for another 30 minutes.
5. Line a sheet pan with baking paper and drizzle about 40 ml olive oil over the bottom. Pour in the dough. With well-oiled hands, gently stretch it toward all corners of the pan. If it resists, cover and rest for 5 minutes, then stretch again.
6. Once the dough fills the tray, cover with a tea towel and proof for 30 minutes.
7. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200°C / 390°F, or a conventional oven to 220°C / 430°F.
8. Drizzle more olive oil over the top and use your fingers to create dimples across the dough.
9. Top with bocconcini, basil pesto, and a big pinch of flaky salt.
10. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the focaccia is golden brown and crisp at the edges. Let it cool slightly before slicing.

Adapted from Andy Cooks.