Prepare Olive Oil Infusion
Combine the olive oil, minced garlic, herbs and black pepper in a small saucepan. Stove-cook over low heat for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not burn the garlic, remove from the stove before the garlic turns brown. Set aside the sauce pan to cool to near room temperature. At this point, I usually poor my olive oil infusion into my glass Pyrex® measuring cup. This will help to cool it and also help me portion the olive oil later in the recipe. Note: it usually takes about 20 minutes for this to cool. Hence, I always start this infusion well before I start preparing my dough.

Prepare the Focaccia Dough
In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and honey (or maple syrup). Whisk a few times then let this mixture sit for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, add 1 cup of flour and a ¼ cup of the infused garlic & herb olive oil mixture to the bowl with yeast and honey. Hand-stir about 8--10 times until the flour has moistened. Let this mixture sit for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1½ cups of flour and the salt. When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured surface and knead 10 to 15 times until smooth.

Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place in your kitchen.

After 1 hour, heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Use about two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil the bottom and sides of a 9-inch by 13 inch pan or rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the dough to the oiled pan and then press the dough down into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough.

Arrange your toppings evenly on the dimpled dough and then drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic olive oil mixture. I also usually lightly rub the olive oil into my toppings (especially onions, peppers, and any dry toppings). Optionally, I also sprinkle a few fresh-cut herbs on the top of my dough and also dust with fresh ground pepper...I tend toward the bold flavors profile. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it puffs slightly.

Bake the Focaccia
Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool baked focaccia bread on a wire rack. I generally leave my focaccia in the pan it was baked in, because I do not have another container to put it in. Ideally it would be nice, once cooled, to place it on some parchment paper and wrap it lightly and place in a bread box.

Enjoy your focaccia!

Note: this recipe was adapted from Adam and Joanne Gallagher, see their Instagram here @inspiredtaste. Thank you Adam and Joanne!