1tablespooncoarse saltdissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm water
1/4cupolive oil
Cornmealfor dusting
Topping
2tablespoonsolive oil
sun-dried tomatoespacked in olive oil
2tablespoonsfresh rosemary
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add warm water. Then sprinkle in yeast and sugar. Swirl gently with your fingertips to dissolve the yeast and sugar. Let the mixture sit for 3 minutes, until foamy. With your mixer on low speed, slowly add 1/2 cup of flour at a time. Add salt water to the mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Mix until the dough smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and fold over itself a few times. Form the dough into a round and place in an oiled bowl, turn to coat the entire ball with oil so it doesn't form a crust. Cover with a damp tea towel and sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Coat a 9x13 baking pan with olive oil and corn meal.
Turn out your dough onto the counter, once it is doubled in size. Roll dough out to a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Lay the flattened dough in the pan and press and stretch to the size of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 400°. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.
Uncover the dough and dimple with the tip of the handle of a wooden spoon.
Brush the surface with more olive oil. Press the desired amount of sun-dried tomatoes into the dough and sprinkle with rosemary.
Bake on the bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3 minutes, remove bread from pan and place on a cooling rack
(skipping this step will prevent you from having a crisp crust).
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can add rosemary and chopped sun-dried tomatoes to your dough in the mixer for a very flavorful bread.