The Best No Knead Focaccia

I don’t use the word best lightly, so I truly mean it when I say that this is the BEST no-knead focaccia recipe out there!! And yes, I do realize I’m biased, but this bread has it all. It has an airy crumb, crisp crust, and so much flavor! 

And if you feel intimidated by bread, I can assure you that this no-knead focaccia bread recipe is straightforward, easy to make, has very few rules, and is actually fun to make!

A Quick Disclaimer

I know I said this recipe has very few rules (and I do stand by that point), however, there are a few rules that I do think are essential to making this focaccia. I’ve listed them all out in detail in the tips section of this post, so please read through that before baking.

Ingredients You’ll Need For This No Knead Focaccia

Ok, here’s everything you’ll need for this easy focaccia bread recipe. 

• All-purpose flour: I love Bob’s Red Mill organic all-purpose flour (nope, not sponsored, just a big fan). King Arthur also has amazing AP flour. 
• Instant yeast: Not active dry yeast, but instant yeast. And before you ask, yes, there is a difference between both. Active dry yeast and instant yeast both help leaven bread and give it an airy, light crumb, but they do so in different ways. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved or activated in warm water, while instant yeast can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients. And since I wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible, I opted to go with instant yeast so you could mix everything together (no muss, no fuss). 
• Kosher salt: I’ve also used Celtic Sea Salt in this recipe.
• Extra virgin olive oil: Since this is a minimal-ingredient recipe, the ingredients you use will shine through. And olive oil is one of the main flavor components in this sheet-pan focaccia, so use a good quality EVOO. My two favorites are California Olive Ranch and Brightland. 
• Butter or vegan butter: I know it’s sacrilege (sorry Italians), but using butter to grease the sheet pan is my secret to the perfect focaccia crust. Kerrygold is my favorite butter, but if you’re dairy-free or vegan, Miyoko’s makes an amazing cashew-based butter. 
• Water
• Rosemary and flaky salt for topping

How to Make This No Knead Focaccia

Including a few photos to illustrate the process of making this no knead focaccia – because I know that baking bread can make you question everything and make you keep asking, “Does this look right?”.

Form The Dough 

Step one of this overnight no-knead focaccia is to mix the dry ingredients together and form the dough. Add the flour, salt, and instant yeast into a large ceramic bowl and whisk well. Then, pour in the water and olive oil. Mix the dough with a spatula or wooden spoon until a sticky homogenous mass forms. It’ll look a bit shaggy; that’s totally normal. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, a towel, or an airtight reusable lid and let rest for 20 minutes. 

The Stretch & Fold Process

After 20 minutes, oil your hands with olive oil and perform a set of stretches and folds. For each stretch and fold, take one side of the dough and stretch it up and over the dough ball, turn the bowl a quarter, and repeat this movement. You’ll do a total of 6 stretch and folds each round. Then lift the dough with both hands and flip it upside down so the bottom is now on the top. Cover again and let the dough rest another 20 minutes and repeat this process an additional two times, letting the dough rest 20 minutes between each round of stretch and folds. After the third round of stretch and folds, drizzle the dough with olive oil and gently rub the dough to coat. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes. 

The Overnight Rise

Once the dough has rested, place it in the fridge and let rise overnight for 12-24 hours. Think of the overnight rise as a time for the bread to ferment and build flavor! The dough should double in size overnight. I typically let my dough rise for 16 hours, but it’ll keep well in the fridge for up to 48 hours. 

The Final Rise

About 1 1/2 hours before you bake the focaccia, butter a quarter sheet pan (4 1/2″ x 9 1/2″ x 1″ high) with about 2 tbsp of softened butter – a half sheet pan (17 1/4″ x 12 1/4″ x 1″ high) will also work but your focaccia will be a tad thinner. Remove the dough from the fridge, punch it down, and transfer it to your buttered sheet pan. Stretch the dough to more or less the size of the pan, and cover with plastic wrap or a towel to rise for 1-1 1/2 hours. The dough should rise about 150%. Mine never rose too much during this time, so don’t worry if your dough doesn’t look too puffy. Preheat your oven to 450°F during this time.

Dimple & Bake  

Once the focaccia has risen, drizzle over a generous amount of good-quality olive oil and sprinkle over fresh rosemary sprigs. Then, use your fingers to dimple the dough – be careful not to pop any air bubbles. Bake the focaccia in the preheated oven until golden brown, 25 minutes exactly. I like my focaccia crisp on the outside and fluffy and soft in the center, however, if you prefer a softer crust, you can bake it for 20 minutes. As soon as the focaccia is done, let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan, before removing and cutting into slices. Garnish with flaky salt, and enjoy!

Let’s Chat Bread Hydration (For All My Baking Nerds)

So first off, what in the world is bread hydration, or more specifically, “high-hydration” bread? High-hydration bread refers to dough with a higher ratio of water to flour, by weight. Anything above 80% hydration is considered high hydration. Btw, this focaccia recipe sits just above 80% hydration.

Now the reason high-hydration is such a buzzword in the baking world is because it helps create an open, airy crumb in bread. 

But that doesn’t mean that more water equals better bread. Good bread is when the hydration matches the needs of the bread type or the thirst of the flour (yes, flour can be thirsty lol). 

For instance, a stiff, low-hydration dough is great for loaves like challah, bagels, or pretzels, which have a more close crumb, and chewy texture. In these loaves, wetter isn’t better. Medium-hydration dough creates a high-rise loaf, with an open crumb, but not so open that sandwich condiments fall out haha. And finally, for high-hydration breads like ciabatta, a wet, soft dough is a must to achieve that signature lacy, airy crumb.

Hope you enjoyed this little foray into bread hydration!! Thought I would include it (even though it’s not super relevant to this recipe) in case you wanted to learn a little bit more about the science of bread baking.  

Lastly, The Only Rules You Should Follow

Not to be dramatic, but these truly are essential steps to making the best focaccia ever!! Or at least a focaccia that mirrors how mine baked. And yes, this recipe is super straightforward, but I wanted to ensure you were armed with all the focaccia baking knowledge I could give before you set forth on your focaccia baking journey!

• Use metric measurements or we can’t be friends (I’m joking lol). It’s the most accurate way to bake, imperial measurements leave too much room for error.
• Ceramic mixing bowl for the win! When I was testing this recipe, I did a lot of reading about how metal can interfere with the overnight fermentation of the dough. And I fully subscribe to this theory. The crumb of the ceramic bowl focaccia was so much more airy and open, as opposed to the tighter crumb that the metal bowl focaccia yielded. 
• Your olive oil matters, a lot. To reiterate what I said earlier since this is a minimal-ingredient recipe, the flavor of the ingredients you do use will shine through. And olive oil is one of the main flavor components in this sheet-pan focaccia, so use a good quality EVOO. My two favorites are California Olive Ranch and Brightland. 
• Butter your sheet pan! Using butter to grease the sheet pan is my secret to the perfect focaccia crust. 
• Speaking of sheet pans, the pan you use matters, a lot. Aluminized steel is my favorite because it is a great conductor of heat. Additionally, I like using a jelly roll pan/quarter sheet pan (4 1/2″ x 9 1/2″ x 1″ high). However, a half sheet pan (17 1/4″ x 12 1/4″ x 1″ high) works just as well, your focaccia will just be a tad thinner.

I know that was a lot (I apologize), but baking can be finicky. If you have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment below, or DM me on Instagram. 

Happy baking! 

Print

Sun Gold Tomato Focaccia Variation

Leaving the measurements for the sun gold tomato focaccia variation below. Simply mix together the pesto, olive oil, and garlic. Prep the tomatoes and rosemary. Spoon over the tomato mixture making sure every part of the dough is covered in the oil, and then dimple the focaccia dough. Press in the halved cherry tomatoes, and bake as directed.

• 1/4 cup tomato pesto or homemade sun-dried tomato pesto
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more if needed
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) sun gold cherry tomatoes, halved
• Flaky salt for finishing