Easy Focaccia Bread

Morton kosher salt and Diamond Crystal kosher salt are not 1:1 – Morton has denser crystals, so 1 teaspoon of Morton has about twice the saltiness of 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal. If you only have Diamond Crystal, use roughly double the amount called for. If you only have table salt, use half the amount and adjust to taste. This focaccia was developed with Morton, and because the dough leans on a full tablespoon of salt, measuring a finer salt by the same volume will make the bread noticeably too salty.

Yes. Instant yeast (sometimes labeled "rapid-rise" or "bread machine" yeast) goes in at the same amount, and you can whisk it straight into the flour just like the recipe does – no need to dissolve it first. It tends to rise a little faster, so start checking the dough toward the early end of each rise window. Active dry is what this recipe was written around, but the two are interchangeable here with no other changes.

Nope, that's exactly right. This is a high-hydration, no-knead dough, so it should be loose, sticky, and a little shaggy rather than smooth and kneadable – that extra water is what gives focaccia its open, airy crumb. Resist the urge to add more flour to firm it up; just oil your hands and the pan well, and let the dimpling and the rises do the work. If it's so wet it's practically soup, your flour was probably under-measured – see the flour note up in the ingredients.

Almost always it comes down to one of three things: the yeast, the rise, or the flour. Make sure your yeast is fresh, since old yeast loses its lift; give the dough its full first and second rises in a warm, draft-free spot, even if that runs longer than the recipe's range on a cold day; and measure your flour with the spoon-and-sweep method so you don't pack in too much. Flour choice matters too – a higher-protein flour like King Arthur bakes up denser and chewier, while Gold Medal or generic all-purpose gives a lighter, airier crumb.

Yes, and it actually makes better bread. After mixing, cover the bowl and let the first rise happen slowly in the refrigerator overnight (up to about 24 hours) instead of on the counter – the long, cold ferment deepens the flavor. Pull the dough out and let it come back to room temperature before you shape, dimple, and do the second rise. There's more on this in the Level Up tips for this recipe.

Unfortunately, not yet. I did try using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free flour to directly replace the all-purpose flour in this recipe. The taste was great, but the bread was hard, dense, and took longer to cook thoroughly.