To make your dough, start by activating your yeast. In a small bowl, combine warm water and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and stir gently. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it becomes foamy

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix with a spatula until a dough forms

Grease a large bowl with room for growth (this dough will rise!), lightly with a little olive oil. Rub a little bit of olive oil on your fingers to help transfer to help transfer the dough to your bowl, cover with a towel, and rest for 10 minutes at room temperature

After 10 minutes, perform one set of stretch and folds: looking down at your dough in the bowl, imagine it has four sides (like a square versus a circle). Take the top side, gently lift it, and pull it over the dough to the bottom side. Rotate your bowl 90 degrees. Now you have a new top side; lift that up, stretch it up and down to the new bottom side. Repeat until you’ve done this four times (for all four “sides”). Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Repeat this step again so you’ll have done two sets of stretch and folds. After the second set, cover and rest for another 10 minutes

Lastly, perform one set of coil folds. Again, looking at your dough and imagining four sides, use your pointer and middle fingers of each hand and scoop under the middle of the dough, lifting it gently, and tuck the top side under, towards the middle. Then tuck the bottom side under, towards the middle. Rotate your bowl 90 degrees, and do another coil fold on each top and bottom

Lightly drizzle the top of your dough with olive oil and gently smooth it over the top. Cover your bowl with an airtight lid or with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 15-24 hours

Pour your ¼ cup of olive oil into a 9×13” pan, using your hand to spread up the sides as needed

Remove your dough from the fridge. If any large bubbles have formed on the top of your dough, pop them with your fingers. Dip your fingers into the oil in your pan to lightly grease them before gently transferring your dough from the bowl to the baking pan.

Fold your dough like an envelope (right side a third of the way in, left side over right), flip and turn your dough so the seam side is down and the longest direction is running along the longest part of the pan. Cover and let rest for one hour at room temperature

Pull the dough gently to fit the rectangular shape of the pan. Don’t force this; if it’s not pulling, let it rest for 10 minutes and try again. Set aside uncovered at room temperature for an additional 60-90 minutes to finish rising. It will be puffed and jiggly when you gently shake the pan

Preheat your oven to 425°F

Drizzle your dough with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and use your finger to press deep into the dough, making those traditional focaccia dimples. Then, sprinkle flaky sea salt lightly across the top of your dough.

Press your tomatoes, cut side up, across the top of your focaccia dough, about 2 inches apart

Bake for 20-25 minutes on the lowest rack in your oven until golden brown. You can insert a digital thermometer into the center of your bread to check for doneness; it should have an internal temperature of 190°F when ready

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool for 15-20 minutes

Once cooled, drizzle your pesto across your focaccia, slice, and serve!