Crispy Rosemary Focaccia

Wake up the yeast. In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and honey. Let it sit 5 to 8 minutes. You might see foam, or you might just see the surface look creamy and slightly bubbly. Either is fine. If nothing looks different at all after 10 minutes, your yeast may be old or the water temperature was off.

Mix the dough. Add flour and kosher salt. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until you have a sticky, shaggy dough and no dry flour pockets. Drizzle in 2 tablespoons olive oil and fold it in right in the bowl with your spatula by scooping up from the bottom and turning the dough over itself a few times.

First rise. Cover the bowl and let rise at room temperature until noticeably expanded and puffy, bubbly on top, and a little jiggly when you shake the bowl, about 60 to 90 minutes.

Oil the pan generously. Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil into a 9x13-inch metal pan and tilt to coat the bottom and corners. Do not be shy here. This is where the crisp edges happen.

Stretch into the pan. Scrape the dough into the pan. Oil your hands and gently stretch it toward the corners. If it keeps springing back, let it rest 10 minutes, then stretch again. Cover and let rise 30 to 45 minutes until noticeably puffy.

Heat the oven. Set a rack in the middle and preheat to 425°F.

Dimple like you mean it. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the dough. Oil your fingertips again and press straight down to make deep dimples across the whole surface, touching the pan. Sprinkle rosemary evenly over top, then press it lightly into the dough so it does not scorch.

Add brine and salt. Stir together the optional brine and spoon all of it across the surface, aiming for the dimples so it spreads out instead of pooling in one spot. Finish with flaky salt.

Optional garlic oil. Mix minced garlic with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then dot it lightly over the top. Keep it light so the garlic does not burn.

Bake. Bake 22 to 28 minutes until deeply golden on top and crisp at the edges. Check the bottom too. You want it nicely browned. If you are using an instant-read thermometer, the center should read about 200°F to 205°F.

Cool, then slice. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes. Run a thin spatula around the edges if needed, then lift out and cool on a rack at least 10 minutes before slicing. This keeps the crumb from getting gummy. Serve warm or at room temp.