Comfort Me with Carbs: Focaccia with Chef Marco Canora

We're baking our way around the world with recipes from hotels we love around the world. Here's one non-hotel exception: focaccia made by Marco Canora, the chef/owner of Hearth restaurant in Manhattan's East Village and Brodo, his bone broth mini empire that began as a takeout window at Hearth and is now available in better grocery stores and for delivery nationwide. Marco, a longtime friend of ours, has been putting amazing — and amazingly easy — cooking how-tos on his Instagram account @MarcoCanora. Look for them in his highlights. This one is reprinted with his permission.

FOCACCIA

INGREDIENTS

1/4 c. warm water
2.5 Tbsp. dry active yeast
1000 grams AP flour
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. salt
2 1/2 c. room temperature water
Toppings you like (fresh rosemary, red onions, herbs...)

PREPARATION

Follow along with his Instagram story. 

1. Mix yeast and warm water in mixing bowl (preferably in standing mixer). Leave for five minutes. You want to see bubbles: This means the yeast is active.

2. Add the rest of the water, olive oil, and salt and mix with paddle attachment. 

3. Slowly add all flour until the mix comes together loosely.

4. Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead for  3-4 minutes until a smooth dough forms. You want the sides of the bowl to come clean. 

5. Oil a large bowl. Add dough and cover with plastic wrap. 

6. It will take about two hours in a warm place in your kitchen for the dough to double in size. 

7. In the meantime, prepare your toppings, like rosemary or finely sliced red onions. 

8. This amount of dough makes two half-sheet sized focaccie. Generously grease the bottom of the pans with olive oil. 

9. Pound the air out of the dough and divide in two. Stretch the dough out into the pans and cover with plastic wrap. 

10. Proof for another hour then poke at the dough to create divots all over the dough. Coat your fingers in olive oil so they don’t stick. 

11. An hour (or so) later — you want it to rise again — sprinkle your toppings all over the dough. Don’t be shy with the salt and olive oil: The focaccia wants a ton of it. 

12. Bake at a very hot 475 degree oven for 30 minutes. 

Marco prefers the focaccia on day two after it’s gotten dry and crunchy.

Keep baking! See all the Comfort Me with Carbs recipes.