Mix. Mix the yeast into the flour. Pour the water into a very large bowl, then add the other ingredients in exactly this order: flour/yeast, sugar, salt. Use your hand or a dough scraper to swirl the mixture around and bring it together, just until it’s a shaggy mix with no large clumps of flour.

Rest. Put the bowl into your steam oven, set to Steam, 80°F/27°C (100% humidity). If your steam oven won’t run at that low a temp, cover the bowl with cling film and put it somewhere at a warm room temp instead. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Stretch and fold 1. At the end of the first rest, the dough won’t look much different. That’s normal. Use a dough scraper and one hand to get down one side of the bowl, lifting and stretching roughly a quarter of the dough up and over on itself. Repeat this to do four stretch and fold actions, turning the bowl a quarter turn each time. Think of it as folding in four corners of a piece of paper. Then get the scraper down underneath the dough and turn it over. Return the bowl to your steam oven (or benchtop resting spot) for 25 minutes.

Stretch and fold 2. Repeat the same stretching and folding process, finishing by turning the dough over in the bowl. Do one more 25 minute rest, after which the dough should look smoother and able to stretch further without tearing.

Divide the dough. Flour your benchtop heavily, then use your dough scraper to lift and move the dough onto the floured surface. Liberally flour the top of the dough. Now, gently stretch and pull the dough into a large rectangle, about 15x8” (38x20cm). Divide the dough into two even pieces across the short side, so you’ve got two 7.5x4” (19x10cm) rectangles.

Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to Combi Steam, 450°F/230°C, 60% (high) humidity. If you have a pizza stone or steel, place this onto the bottom shelf of the oven when you begin the preheat. You can bake focaccia in a sheet pan but a stone is ideal for the crispiest base.

Shape and final proof. Have a piece of dough with the short edge facing you. Use your fingers to fold the dough over away from yourself, a quarter of the way. Press down on the edge of the dough to seal just that bit, without pressing down all over the folded dough (this will deflate the bubbles you’ve carefully encouraged in the dough!). Roll another quarter and press the edge again, then repeat twice more to make a finished, flattish cylinder. Put the dough onto a floured surface, cover with a cloth and let it proof for around 30 minutes, or until it’s roughly 50% larger in size and you can see some bubbles on the surface (the time will vary depending on how warm your dough and kitchen are).

Dimple and top the dough. Lay two large sheets of parchment paper on a flat surface, and flour lightly. Transfer the proofed dough onto the parchment and stretch it out to be roughly 12x9” (30x23cm). Don’t squash it, just gently pull into the right size. Use floured fingertips to make deep dimples in the dough, all over the top. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the dough, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt (or see the Season Flip below for alternative topping ideas).

Bake. Use a pizza paddle or chopping board to transfer one piece of the dough and paper into the hot oven. If you’re baking on a sheet pan, preheat the pan for a few minutes then slide the dough directly into it in the oven. Bake until the bread is puffed and golden brown all over, anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes (less for a heavy pizza stone/steel, more for a sheet pan). Remove the baked focaccia from the oven and immediately drizzle with extra olive oil. Repeat the baking process with the second focaccia. Serve warm or at room temperature.