Almond rosemary focaccia

So, in my lack of writing, I have started cooking... a lot. Thus far my specialties are weird casseroles, elaborate versions of tuna, impossible combinations of pasta sauces (lobster ravioli with a curry tomato sauce anyone?) My boyfriends favorite thing I make is over roasted chicken and broccoli. Any way, what I am getting at is, I'm going to start documenting my recipes and their aftermath. Was it yummy? Has it been requested again? And what tweaks would make it better.
Thus far I've made a meatloaf that would knock your socks off. And I have ideas for more. But as of right now, meatloaf is on a back burner. Because I am now in the mood for baking. So here is what is on the menu tonight: Rosemary and almond focaccia bread with a dill curried turkey burger. I know, right? Sounds fancy!

So here is where I am, focaccia wise. I put together all the ingredients, and this time around I am waiting the appropriate amount of time to allow it to rise. Because I didn't last time. I didn't let that bread rest for even one nano second! I was like a bully. (but it was still delicioso) Thus far, I've let it rest twice. And I'm having weird versions of Lucille Ball getting pushed up against the wall! My goodness, they ain't kidding when they say it doubles in size. SCIENCE!

This is the recipe:
2 cups warm water
2 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup (or olive oil)
5½ cups high-grade flour
1½ tsp salt
10 almonds (finely crushed)
about 3 twigs of rosemary, leaves only (do I really need to be more specific? Don't throw in the wood part)

I mixed the water, yeast and sugar in the bowl for about five minutes. As this was happening, I crushed the almonds and the rosemary with a SlapChop (best invention EVER!) I put the almond/ rosemary portion in the olive oil (it seemed like the right thing to do) into the water yeast sugar concoction. Then I put in the flour and and then got down and dirty with kneading a loaf, know what I mean?
Once I combined all the ingredients together by hand (cause I'm old school like that) and kneaded for about 8 minutes, I left it in a bowl and put plastic wrap over it and left it alone for 20 minutes (I didn't do that before.)
During this time I looked up stupid celebrity gossip.
After 20 minutes, I went to look at my beautiful loaf and it beamed back at me with pride. I floured a cutting board and kneaded it some more until it looks more like what you think it should look like. Like a raw loaf of bread that was smooth and not sticky.
I then shaped the bread and let it rest for another hour and a half. (yeesh! I didn't do this AT ALL the first time) Then I got the urge to write this. So this is where we are now.

Can you tell I didn't really believe the whole "double in size" thing?.

From here I tossed that puppy in the oven (450f) after slathering some olive oil on the top and sprinkled on some more rosemary. It's done when it sounds hollow inside (think Heidi Montage) and it should be golden brown.
Now, I understand that Focaccia actually means "flat bread" but I don't like flat bread. So I didn't weigh it down with any stones or whatever. And instead, what I got was a bread that looked so happy and proud to be alive that I almost didn't want to eat it. Almost. But when I did...it was totally worth making the apartment about 137 degrees.