ECKERTON HILL FARM / NEW YORK CITY
Rich with toasty yeast flavor and fragrant with tomato harvest sweetness, this is a simple bread you can make in a home oven that may be better than at the local bakery. If for some reason you have leftover bread, the panzanella recipe here can help you use it up in a tasty way.
MAKES TWO 11-BY-17-INCH FOCACCIA
1½ cups warm water, 105° to 115°F
1 (¼-ounce) package active dry yeast (2½ teaspoons)
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon honey
4 cups high-gluten pizza or bread flour, plus more for dusting
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
6 ripe heirloom tomatoes, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
Put the warm water in a large warmed bowl, add the yeast, and stir to dissolve. Let stand for 3 minutes, or until foamy.
Add 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt and the honey and stir to combine. Add the flour and ½ cup of the oil and mix, first with the spoon and then using your hands, until the dough comes together into a slightly tacky ball.
Wash and dry your hands. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead, occasionally dusting it with a teaspoon of flour at a time, until you form a smooth, firm, homogeneous ball, about 15 minutes. (You can do this just as well in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook if you are in a hurry, but consider doing it by hand. It makes you a better person.)
Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen cloth. Place the bowl in a warm area (such as on the stove) and let rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Shape each one into a ball, return to the bowl, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly oil two 11-by-17-inch baking sheets, the older the better.
Place a dough ball on each of the oiled baking sheets and, using your fingertips, poke indentations across the entire surface of the dough, spreading the dough out over the sheet. Let them rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt, drizzle with some of the remaining olive oil, and then lay the tomato slices on top, barely overlapping, like shingles, to cover to within ½ inch of the edge of the dough. Drizzle the remaining oil over to form slight puddles in some of the dimples, and sprinkle with the sea salt. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes until golden brown on top and bottom. Serve warm.