1. In bowl, sprinkle sugar over water and add yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. Stir in olive oil, honey, cornmeal, salt and enough flour to make a soft dough. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Sprinkling surface with extra flour as needed to prevent dough from sticking, knead for 10 minutes or until dough is soft and elastic. Place in lightly greased bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubles in size, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF (180ºC).
2. Punch dough down. Knead in ¾ cup (175 mL) sun dried tomatoes and basil. Let rest 5 minutes. Shape or roll into 15” (38 cm) rectangle. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Press fingers into dough to create dimpled effect. Drizzle oil over top and sprinkle with coarse salt.
3. Bake in centre of preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with ¼ cup (50 mL) sundried tomatoes. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom.
Tips:
4. This focaccia dough can be made the day ahead. Simply refrigerate after kneading. Bring to room temperature for about 1 hour before punching down dough and proceeding with recipe.
5. Use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil for this recipe. If you can only get dry packed tomatoes, soak in warm water for 10 minutes before proceeding with recipe.