Focaccia — The Bread That Belongs on the January Table

The week after the anniversary always has a particular texture. The counting is done, the ceremony is behind you, and you're back in ordinary time — which is where the real work has always been. I've learned to appreciate ordinary time. It's where you actually live.

Margaret drove back to Billings on Saturday. I walked her to the car and she hugged me for longer than she usually does and said, quietly, "you're going to be fine." I told her I already was. She said "I know, that's what I mean." I think that's the truest thing anyone has said to me in a long time.

Patrick seems good in the January way — moved more slowly than November, but not worryingly so. The contractor is coming Thursday to assess the bathroom modifications: grab bars, a fold-down shower bench, better lighting over the threshold steps. Patrick has accepted this with the pragmatic equanimity of someone who has decided to cooperate with reality. I don't know what shifted; maybe the fall in December, maybe something he said to Margaret over Christmas that I didn't hear. I'm not going to interrogate it. I'm going to install the grab bars.

Sarah emailed to say the manuscript has entered the production phase — copyediting begins Monday, then layout, then galley proofs for my review in March. May is real now in a way it hasn't quite been before. May is not abstract. May is a Tuesday in production.

Tom called to say the Missoula publisher offered a contract for the third book, better terms than the Bozeman press, and he's taking it. He sounded like a person who has made a decision and wants to share it with someone who will understand it as more than just business, which I hope I am. I told him to send me the first chapter when it exists. He said "you'll be one of three people who reads it first." I told him I was honored to be in that group. He said "I didn't say whose group you were in," and laughed, which means he felt good enough to tease.

Simple January cooking: braised lentils with sausage and a handful of the canned tomatoes from August, eaten with bread and a glass of water. The pantry is doing its job. The year the food comes in and the year the food goes out are the same year, which is a thing that keeps surprising me.

The lentils and sausage do their own work — they don’t need much help — but bread is what makes that kind of meal complete, the thing you use to finish what’s left in the bowl. I’ve been making this focaccia on and off all winter because it asks almost nothing of you and gives back more than it should. It fits ordinary time exactly right.

Focaccia

Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour rise | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110–115°F)
• 1/3 cup olive oil, divided, plus more for the pan
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus flaky salt for topping
• 2 teaspoons fresh or dried rosemary (optional)
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Activate the yeast. Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir gently and let sit for 5–8 minutes until foamy.
2. Mix the dough. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the kosher salt to the yeast mixture. Add flour one cup at a time, stirring until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5–7 minutes until smooth and elastic, or mix with a dough hook for 4 minutes.
3. First rise. Coat the bowl with a little olive oil, place the dough inside, and cover with a clean towel. Let rise in a warm spot for 45–60 minutes, until roughly doubled.
4. Prepare the pan. Pour the remaining olive oil into a rimmed 9x13-inch baking pan, spreading it to coat the bottom generously. Press the dough into the pan, stretching it toward the edges. If it springs back, let it rest 5 minutes and stretch again.
5. Dimple and rest. Use your fingertips to press deep dimples all across the surface of the dough. Drizzle lightly with a little more olive oil. Scatter rosemary over the top if using. Let the dough rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425°F.
6. Bake. Finish with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt over the surface. Bake for 22–26 minutes until the top is deep golden and the edges are crisp. The bottom should be golden when you lift a corner with a spatula.
7. Cool and serve. Let the focaccia cool in the pan for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve warm alongside braised beans, soups, or with nothing at all.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 265 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 36g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 310mg