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1
Stir together the water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
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2
Stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
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3
Gradually add the flour until the mixture forms a soft dough.
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4
Lightly sprinkle a work surface with flour and place the dough in the center.
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5
Before kneading the dough, dip your hands in flour to keep them from sticking to the dough.
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6
To knead, fold the dough in half and push forward on it slightly with the heels of your hands.
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7
Rotate the dough a quarter turn, and again fold it in half, then push on it with the heels of your hands.
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8
Continue the turn, fold, and push process for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
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9
Along the way, dust the dough and the work surface with flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.
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10
You may need as much as 1 cup of additional flour.
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11
Coat a large bowl with oil or cooking spray.
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12
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, rolling the ball around in the bowl to lightly coat it with oil.
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13
Place the bowl in a warm spot, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise for 45 minutes, or until almost double in size.
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14
Lightly coat an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with oil or cooking spray.
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15
Place the dough on the baking sheet and gently pull out the dough until it fills the entire pan in a fairly even layer.
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16
Sprinkle lightly with salt and let rise for 30 minutes.
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17
While the dough is rising, roast the garlic.
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18
Preheat the oven to 400F.
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19
Peel the garlic and place on a 12-inch piece of aluminum foil.
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20
Pull up the ends of the foil to form a pouch and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
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21
Fold over the ends of the foil to seal the pouch and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the garlic is soft.
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22
Leave the oven on.
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23
Place the garlic and oil in a bowl and smash with a fork.
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24
Spread the roasted garlic over the dough.
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25
Coarsely chop the basil leaves and sprinkle over the garlic.
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26
Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds by scraping them out of the tomato with a small tool or your finger, and cut the tomato into thin slices.
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27
Arrange the tomato slices evenly over the dough.
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28
Sprinkle the crushed red pepper over the tomatoes.
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29
Tear each of the provolone slices into 5 or 6 pieces and arrange them over the tomatoes.
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30
Bake the focaccia for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
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31
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan.
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32
Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
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33
Early versions of focaccia were cooked on the hearth of a hot fire or on a heated tile.
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34
Its always had a range of inventive toppings, including herbs, garlic, and onion, but crispy ciccioli, which is the leftovers from rendering chopped-up pork fat into lard, might be a step too far.
