Focaccia

To make the biga: Mix flour, water, and yeast in a large bowl and stir until there is no more dry flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and keep at room temperature (70 degrees or so) for 8 to 24 hours.

To make the dough: Stir flour, water and yeast into the bowl of biga. When mixed well, about a minute, cover and let rise for about 15 minutes.

Sprinkle salt onto dough and stir until it is mixed well; cover again and let rise for 30 minutes. Use a rubber spatula coated with oil (so it doesn’t stick) and fold dough over by lifting the edges and folding toward middle. Keep turning bowl and folding dough 8 to 10 times. Cover with plastic wrap again and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat the folding, rising process 2 more times (3 times total).

Heat oven to 500 degrees for at least 45 minutes with a baking stone in the upper middle position.

Transfer dough to work surface that is lightly coated with flour. Dust top of dough with flour and divide in half. Shape each piece of dough into approximately 5-inch rounds by tucking edges under.

Coat two 9-inch cake pans with olive oil. Sprinkle pans with kosher or coarse sea salt (Patrick suggests trying smoked salt here). Place dough in pan upside-down and slide it around to coat the bottom and sides with oil, and brush additional oil over the top. Cover pans with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes.

Using fingers, press dough out toward edges of pan. If it is tough, you can let it relax for a bit before trying again. Using a fork, poke surface of dough 30 times. Pop large bubbles. Let dough rest until it is a little bubbly.

Place pans on baking stone and reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Turn pans half way through baking. Cool for 5 minutes or so and remove from pans. Let cool, and eat!