Foccacia

Foccacia2 cups lukewarm water (85 to 95 degrees)
2 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups unbleached bread flour
2 to 3 tsp salt
2 to 3 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp kosher or sea salt

Measure water into a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast in the water and stir to dissolve. Stir in 2 cups of water and the salt and stir briskly until smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix just until the dough pulls away from the bowl. It will be pretty tacky and sticky at this point.

Same day method:
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes. Proceed with shaping directions.

Overnight method:
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The dough will rise in the refrigerator and acquire flavor from the slower yeast action. Remove the dough 2 hours before shaping and let stand, covered in a warm place. The dough will rise for a second time. Proceed to the shaping instructions.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees, oil a loaf pan, or spread dough onto baking sheet. Reduce oven to 400 degrees and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

This recipe came out of the book No Need to Knead : Handmade Italian Breads in 90 Minutes and so far it's been my favorite book on breadmaking. It's made me a far better baker, that's for sure.