HERB BREAD OR PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Stir together: 2 teaspoons dry yeast, 1/2 cup lukewarm water.
• Add and mix well: 1/4 cup unbleached white flour, 1/4 cup rye flour.
• Allow this mixture to sit until quite bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Mix together in another bowl: 3 1/4 cups unbleached white flour, 1 teaspoon salt.
• Stir this into the yeast and flour mixture with: 3/4 cup cold water, 1/4 cup olive oil.
• Mix thoroughly by hand or in an electric stand mixer. If working by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add more flour, but only enough to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Or use the mixer, fitted with the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough is the right texture when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl of the mixer, but still adheres to the bottom. A very soft, slightly moist dough will make the best focaccia.
• Put the dough in a large bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours. For an even better-tasting and more supple dough, let the dough rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator. (Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before shaping.)
• Generously oil a 10-inch by 15 1/2-inch rimmed baking or sheet pan. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and flatten it on the baking pan, shaping it to fit the pan by gently pressing down from the center out towards the edges. If the dough starts to resist and spring back, let it rest for 10 minutes, then continue shaping. Try not to deflate or smash all of the air out of the dough as you are shaping it. Dimple the surface of the dough by lightly poking it with your fingertips.
• Drizzle with: 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Cover and let rise until doubled in height, about 2 hours.
• While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 450°F. If you have one, place a baking stone on the lower rack and let it heat for 30 minutes before baking the bread. Sprinkle the dough with: 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt and put the baking pan directly on the stone. Bake the focaccia until golden and crisp on the top and bottom, about 20 to 25 minutes. Invert the pan to remove the bread and place on a rack to cool.
• variation
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or sage leaves over the dough before baking.
• Chop about 1 tablespoon fresh tender herbs and add to the dough with the oil.
• Divide the dough in two before shaping and press into two 1/2-inch-thick disks. Put the disks into oiled 8-inch pie plates. Dimple, oil, let rise as above, and bake, checking after 10 minutes.
• Top with sautéed onions, cheese, tomato slices, or sautéed greens before baking.