Fill a medium size bowl with hot water. Allow to sit for 5 minutes then discard water (this helps make a nice warm environment for your yeast to proof) and add the 1 ¾ cup warm water*, yeast and sugar. Stir to combine.

Put the bowl in a warm place until the yeast is bubbling and aromatic, 5-10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, ¼ cup olive oil and the yeast mixture on low speed. Once the dough has come together, continue to knead for 8 minutes on medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft.

Loosen the dough hook and remove bowl from mixer. Remove dough hook, scraping into bowl any dough that has clung to it. Move dough to one side of the bowl with your hand or a spatula. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil (about a teaspoon) into the bottom of the mixing bowl and turn dough a couple of times to coat with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place bowl in a warm place** till doubled in size, about 1 hour.

While dough is rising, place diced tomatoes in a colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt (about ¼ teaspoon) and let the tomatoes drain until ready to use. (This will keep the finished bread from being too wet.)

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to each of the three 8-inch round (or square) baking pans and rub the oil around with your fingers to completely coat the bottom and sides of pan. (Don’t try to use less oil. This may seem like a lot, but I’ve cut it back considerably from the original recipe. Focaccia is an oil crusted bread. That's why it is so delicious!)

Divide the dough as evenly as possible between the 3 pans. With oiled fingers, begin pressing the dough out to fit the pans. Turn the dough over to coat the other side with the olive oil. Continue to stretch the dough to cover the bottom of the pans. As you are doing so, spread your fingers out and make finger holes all the way through the dough. Not just dimples, but actually tear holes in the dough with your fingers as you press down. This might sound strange, but when the dough rises again it will create the characteristic craggy looking focaccia (see picture in post). If you don't make actual holes in the dough, the finished product will be smooth.

Pat the tomatoes with a paper towel to dry any surface moisture, then divide them evenly over the three pans. Sprinkle each pan with the finely chopped basil. Dimple dough again, pushing some of the tomatoes and basil down into the dough. Drizzle a bit more olive oil over tomatoes and cover pans with saran wrap and a clean kitchen towel.

Place the pans of dough in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour. About 15 minutes before dough in finished rising, preheat the oven to 400˚F. Sprinkle the top of the focaccia lightly with flaky sea salt or kosher salt. Bake until the top of the loaf is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pans and finish cooling on a wire rack. Cool completely before cutting. Cut into wedges for serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with small fresh basil leaves, if desired.