Light and Airy Focaccia

September 2026

Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, March 2026

I’m pretty sure I’ve never made focaccia before—or at least I couldn't find a past blog post to prove it. So, I was eager to try a new bread, especially one Cook's Illustrated promised would make great sandwiches with a "high effort-to-reward ratio." Time will tell if it becomes a true lunch staple, but the initial tests for keeping and freezing well look promising.

The Process

I started by whisking together bread flour, sugar, and yeast, then stirred in water and olive oil until the flour was fully moistened. After letting the nascent dough rest for 20 minutes, I sprinkled table salt over the top. Using a damp hand, I stretched and folded the dough over itself about 30 times, rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time, before covering it for another 20-minute rest.

I prepped a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick spray, lined it with parchment, and added a generous layer of olive oil. On the counter, I pressed the rested dough into a 15x10-inch rectangle, folded it into thirds like a letter, and transferred it to the pan. I flipped and swirled the dough to ensure both sides were thoroughly coated in oil. Covered, it rose for a little over two and a half hours until it expanded to fill the entire pan.

To finish, I drizzled the risen top with more olive oil, dimpled the surface with wet fingertips, sprinkled it with flaky sea salt, and baked it until deeply golden brown. Total time—exclusive of cooling—was about four hours, but the vast majority was completely hands-off.

The Verdict

We really enjoyed this bread. It was flavorful, had a fantastic crumb, and made an exceptional base for dinner BLTs. It also held up surprisingly well over several days on the counter and thawed beautifully after a stint in the freezer. In fact, it handled everything from savory bacon to my daily lunch staple, peanut butter and jelly.

This is definitely earned a spot in my regular sandwich bread rotation. The only tweak I’ll make next time is omitting the flaky finishing salt: it made the fresh crust a bit too salty for my wife's taste, and as the bread sat, the salt dissolved into the crust anyway, losing its signature crunch.