Focaccia is a flat oven-baked Italian bread similar in style and texture to pizza; in some places, it is called "pizza bianca". Focaccia can be served as a side dish or as sandwich bread. Top with your favorite herbs, garlic, and vegetables to create a beautiful design!
Add the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer, set aside.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the water and sprinkle the yeast and sugar mixture over the water, set aside until it proofs (doubles in size and become puffy).
Once the yeast mixture has proofed, add it to the flour mixture along with the oil. Attach a dough hook and knead on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes or until it becomes a nice smooth dough ball. Knead by hand for approximately 10-15 minutes until a smooth dough ball forms if you do not have a stand mixer.
Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm draft free place until doubled in size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down to deflate it on a lightly floured surface (ex. Kitchen counter).
Add a few tablespoons of oil to the bottom of two 9 inch pie dishes or baking sheets (or 1 pie dish and 1 rimmed cookie sheet) and set aside.
Cut the dough in half and place each half in the pie dishes or cookie sheet. Flatten the dough and flip to coat both sides of the dough with oil.
Use your fingers to poke deep holes into the dough over the whole surface. Poke all the way down until you touch the pie dish/baking sheet.
Loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave in a warm spot to rise until doubled again.
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Once the dough has risen, top with the garlic, rosemary, salt and a drizzle of oil or get creative and use toppings (peppers, olives, asparagus, mushrooms, etc.) to create a design. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil evenly over the top of the dough.
Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until crispy and light golden brown.
Optional: drizzle with additional olive oil when it comes out of the oven for serving.