Easy No-Knead Focaccia Recipe (2024)

This Easy No-Knead Focaccia is impressively light and airy with a tender, chewy crumb thanks to an overnight rest in the refrigerator. With its classic crackly, crunchyexterior and tender texture on theinterior, it will be hard not to devour the whole thing.

If you’ve been looking for a fool-proof, easyfocaccia recipe, this is the one for you. Even if, like me, you don’t think you’re much of a baker, or baking isn’t really your thing, baking this focaccia from scratch is a breeze. There are many different styles of focaccia and I have yet to find one I don’t like (if made well, that is). This thick-crusted focaccia with its light and soft interior, woody aroma of rosemary, lots of good olive oil, and flaky salt to finish, feels very Italian and is my absolute favourite. Requiring no kneading, no stand mixer, and no special flour, it is completely unintimidating and doable

About No-Knead Focaccia

The dough for this easy no-knead focaccia is pretty basic – flour, yeast, salt, and water. A good amount of extra-virgin olive prevents it from sticking, while also adding fantastic flavour. The process here is also very straight forward; mix, proof, shape, and bake. The exquisite crumb and flavour of this focaccia, and what makes it truly epic, is achieved by refrigerating a very highly hydrated dough for 12 to 24 hours. Thiscold fermentation process slows down the activity of the yeast, without completely stopping it. The slow rise will fill the dough with gas cells which give structure and gorgeous flavour to the bread. Simply put, chilling the dough is the easiest way to improve both the taste and texture of bread.

Once the dough has proofed in the refrigerator, it then rests on the counter for a second rise where it will spread out in the pan beautifully. Right before baking, dimpling the dough creates the characteristic crevices of a focaccia where the olive oil pools. So simple, so divine

Inspiration For This Easy No-Knead Focacci

A blog I have loved for years isThe Wednesday chef by Luisa Weiss. Her writing is transportive whether its about food or family life. Years ago, when she posted a no-knead, overnight Focaccia recipe from Saltie: A Cookbook, I not only ran to make it, but also ordered the cookbook on the spot. It’s my little treasure.

Like all other no-knead breads, Saltie’s recipe proved to be ridiculously easy to throw together and simply perfect every time. It does however call for a rather indecent amount of flour, 6 1/4 cups to be exact. Focaccia is really best enjoyed the same day you make it, so this recipe is great if you have a large family, or you are feeding a crowd. Given the pandemic circ*mstances, neither applies to me right now so I have scaled it down. Just a bit

The concept of the no-knead, overnight bread is nothing new, of course, with all the credit going to thisJim Lahey recipe. You could say it is one of the most popular recipes of all times. It had us all investing in Dutch Ovens, if we didn’t already own one, and many recipes and variations of it now abound.

The focaccia recipe I am sharing here, is an adaptation of many tutorials combined. These two in particular, have been very helpful. Many focaccia’s later, I have settled on a ratio which makes a great focaccia for snacking, or for serving alongside any dinner. Beautiful for your holiday table, too

Reasons To Love This Easy No-Knead Focaccia Recipe

1. Minimal effort and time to put together. 5 minutes to throw all the ingredients in a bowl is all it takes to make this dough. From there, the cold fridge, and time, will do all the work for you.
2. If you love bread that is airy and flavourful, with complex textures and a porous crumb on the inside, then you must give this recipe a try.
3. Bakes quickly;20-25 minutes is all it takes to bake this focaccia.
4. If you love Italian-style slabsandwiches, you will love using this focaccia as your bread.
5. Leftovers make incredibly good croutons for salads, panzanellas, or stuffings.
6. Rave reviews will abound. Whenever I serve this focaccia everyone goes on (and on) about how good it, as if it was the first time I made it.

Instant vs Active Dry Yeast

You can use either one for this easy no-knead focaccia recipe. If you are sure that your instant yeast is not old, you can mix it right into the bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients. Active dry yeast will need to be proofed in a bowl with water and a pinch of sugar before mixing it with the flour. For the sake of simplicity, this recipe will focus only on using instant yeast.

Best Flour To Make Focaccia

Bread flour, if you can find it, is really ideal to make any bread. The higher protein content in bread flour will give strength to the dough which yields beautiful yeasted bread. That said, I almost exclusively use all-purpose flour to make this focaccia with fantastic results

How To Make No-Knead Focaccia

It is important to note that this is not a dough that is conducive to handling. The dough is very wet and sticky which is why there is very minimal interaction with the dough. The wetter the dough the better your focaccia will be as this is what contributes to an open flavourful crumb that has the perfect texture.

Here are the basic steps for how to make this easy no-knead focaccia:

• Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; flour, salt, and instant yeast.
• Add lukewarm water and mix. Once you add the water, mix until wellcombined and no flour streaks remain. The dough will look quite wet andshaggy and will be very sticky. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl (use the largest one you have).
• Let the dough rise.Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge. Leave it there undisturbed to rise for 12-18 hours. You can leave it as long as 48 hours. More than that and the dough may weaken.

• Prepare pan. Line a large baking pan 13 x 9, or baking sheet, with parchment paper. Note: if you generously butter the pan, like I did in the pan shown below, you don’t need to line it with parchment. Pour in 1 tablespoon olive oil in the bottom of the pan. Placethe dough in the oil, folding it gently over itself a few times to create a rough rectangular shape. Make sure the top of the dough is lightly oiled but don’t handle it too much, a few folds is all it takes.

• Leave the dough, uncovered, in the warmest spot of your kitchen to double in size, about 2-4 hours. After 2-4 hours the dough should have risen and spread enough to reach all the corners of the pan as shown in the photo below.

• Preheat the oven and bake. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Once the oven is preheated, oil your hands, then use yours fingers to make dimples by pressing down into the dough. Don’t be shy here, you want to create lovely crevices all over the dough. Drizzle the top of the dough with another bit of olive oil then sprinkle with rosemary leaves and flaky sea salt, such as Maldon.

• Bake. Immediately transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the focaccia looks a deep-golden colour all around.
• Serve. Let the focaccia rest in the pan about 5 minutes, then remove and cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes. Slice, and enjoy!

Tips to Make The Best Focaccia

If you’re new to bread making, stick to simple toppings or add-ins when making focaccia. Once you’re comfortable with the recipe, and the baking time, feel free to add any toppings you like. I love adding sliced red onions, other herbs, minced garlic, thinly sliced potato, olives, etc.

Likewise, if you want to experiment with other flours, introduce smaller amounts at a time.

Make A Slab Sandwich

This focaccia recipe is excellent for making slab sandwiches. The combination shown in the photos below is one of our favourites.

Here is the quick how to: Place 1-2 cups red grapes on a small baking sheet lined with parchment. Drizzle and rub with a little olive oi. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and broil, turning a few times, until grapes have started to slightly char, about 5 minutes. Spread focaccia slices with burrata cheese and top with arugula, prosciutto slices, and broiled grapes. Heaven.

For a holiday meal, this focaccia is excellent to prepare a few days ahead. It is less hands-on than rolling buns, and bonus, the quick bake time will not hog the oven when you need it most. Keep this recipe in your back pocket, it’s a good one.

If you make this Overnight No Knead Focaccia recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below. We love andappreciate all your feedback!