Black Pepper Focaccia
A crispy, no-knead focaccia topped with freshly cracked black pepper and pecorino
Servings: 8
Equipment
- 1 9x13" Sheet Pan or two 6x9" mini pans
Ingredients
Dough:
- 500 g flour about 3½ cups — I use "00" flour, but all-purpose works
- 1½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¾ tsp Morton's kosher salt
- 400 g warm water about 1½ cups + 3 tbsp
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tsp honey or sugar
- 4 tbsp olive oil plus more for topping and coating the pan
Brine:
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ tsp Morton's kosher salt
Topping:
- 2 tbsp fresh black pepper coarsely ground
- 2 tbsp Pecorino grated (divided)
Instructions
Make the dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix the warm water, yeast, and honey (or sugar). Let sit for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast — it should look foamy and bubbly. Stir in the olive oil.
- Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture and mix until no dry patches remain. The dough will be shaggy and sticky — that's expected, since we're not kneading it.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough proof:Overnight in the fridge for the best flavor and texture (12–18 hours), or At room temperature for about 5 hours if making it same-day.
Shape the focaccia
- Generously oil your sheet pan. (For extra insurance against sticking, add a layer of parchment paper too.)
- Turn the dough out onto the pan. To help build structure, fold the dough onto itself: grab one side, stretch it up, and fold it into the center. Repeat with the opposite side, folding the dough into thirds like a letter. Flip it over so the seam side is on the bottom.
- Gently stretch the dough to fill the pan. If it resists and springs back, let it rest for 20 minutes, then stretch it again.
- Using wet or oiled fingers, dimple the surface of the dough all the way down to the pan.
- Whisk together the brine ingredients and pour evenly over the dough. Cover and let rise for 1 hour at room temperature.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 500°F (260°C). If you have a pizza stone, preheat that in the oven as well.
- Drizzle generously with more olive oil. Top with lots of freshly ground black pepper and scatter over 1 tablespoon of grated Pecorino.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The top should be deep golden brown and the bottom will be super crisp.
- Remove from the oven and top with the remaining tablespoon of Pecorino. Let cool slightly, then remove from the pan and enjoy!
Did You Make This Recipe?
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