The easiest and best no knead Focaccia. Focaccia is a traditional Italian bread that traces back to the second century BC. Focaccia is also one of Italy’s most ancient breads and thought to have originated with the Etruscans. From what I have researched on Wikipedia and Britannica the dough back in the day was made from flour, salt, water, flattened over a stone slab, and cooked under hot ashes, hence its Latin name, Panis Focacius which means “hearth bread.” The recipe has then evolved and is now most commonly made with yeast and olive oil. Focaccia seems to be most closely linked to Genoa, where it’s known as pizza Genovese and topped with sautéed onions and herbs. Around Bologna it’s known as Crescentina, and in Tuscany and parts of central Italy it becomes Schiacciata. The best-known forms of focaccia have a golden, dimpled, slightly salty crust and a soft center. However, texture varies according to region, and the flavors will vary with ingredients. This no knead focaccia recipe is for the most novice baker and requires minimal effort. If you can stir a few ingredients in a bowl, you are capable of making one of Italy’s most delicious foods.
No Knead Focaccia
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (600 grams)
- 1 packet of active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoon (12 grams)
- 2 teaspoons salt (15 grams)
- 2 cups lukewarm water (500 ml)
- olive oil (3 tablespoons approx.) drizzle for the dough ball, bottom of the baking tray and on top of the dough
Additional Toppings:
- halved cherry tomatoes
- pitted kalamata olives
- dry oregano to taste
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Add the first 4 ingredients to a bowl and stir with a spatula. If it becomes too hard to stir, you can finish incorporating the dough with your hands until a sticky dough-ball forms. No need to KNEAD lol. Just shape the dough.
- Please Note: the water must be warm — not hot, not cold. The water needs to be between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 43 degrees Celsius). If the water is too hot or too cold the yeast will not activate. Make sure the yeast is not expired.
- Once the dough is shaped, oil up the dough ball, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm spot overnight. I let mine rise for 12 hours but a minimum of 8 hours is recommended. You can also make it early in the morning and bake later on in the evening for dinner.
- Place the dough somewhere away from drafts like in the microwave, in a cupboard, or in a cold oven.
- After the dough has tripled in size, uncover it and punch down the middle of the dough with your fist.
- Line a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and drizzle the bottom with olive oil. Pour out the dough and stretch it with your hands until it fits evenly into the baking dish. It will have some resistance at first but be patient as it will give in to you and take on the shape of the dish.
- Cover it again with plastic wrap and let it rest for another hour until it has doubled in size.
- Once it has doubled, uncover it and drizzle the top with olive oil. Take your hands and press down with your fingers forming dimples all over the top.
- You can now add any additional toppings of choice. I added cherry tomatoes, olives, dry oregano and a sprinkle of salt. You can make it plain or add anything you like such as sun-dried tomatoes, onions, any herbs like rosemary, thyme, or any additional toppings of choice.
- Bake in a pre-heated 425F (220 C) oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden. The bake time will depend on the oven and baking dish you use so keep an eye on it.
Notes
The water must be warm — not hot, not cold. The water needs to be between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 43 degrees Celsius). If the water is too hot or too cold the yeast will not activate.
I let mine rise for 12 hours but a minimum of 8 hours is recommended. You can also make it early in the morning and bake later on in the evening for dinner.
Use any toppings you like on top of your focaccia. You can also make 1/2 of it differently than the other half.
I was taught to bake solely based on consistency “na oko” which means by eye. We never measured back home. We used coffee cups and adjusted as needed so please add a little bit of water at a time until you have a very thick and sticky dough.
Make sure the yeast is NOT expired.
If you don’t want to add all of the ingredients to the bowl and you want to TEST the yeast first you can add it to a bowl with the warm water separately. If the yeast does not foam up and activate you have to start that step all over. If it foams up, it means it’s active and you can add it to the flour and salt.
If the dough is too wet, you can always sprinkle in a little more flour and adjust. If it’s way too dry, you can add more warm water a touch at a time.
I have not tried making this bread with any other type of yeast as my favorite yeast is active-dry yeast. I like to activate it myself, so I do not waste any of my ingredients.
Please always scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level off the flour with a knife discarding the excess before adding it to the bowl to have more precise measurements.
You can use whole-wheat flour as well but this bread is more delicious will all-purpose in my opinion.
Let it REST for a minimum of 10 hours. I usually leave mine overnight and bake it the following morning. Let it rest at ROOM temp in a warm spot AWAY from drafts. I like to place mine in a cold oven (oven that’s not turned on).
If you live in a really hot climate, the dough will rise a LOT faster so try to keep it in a cooler room or let it rise for a maximum of 2-3 hours. When it doubles/triples in size you can bake it right away.
I have NOT baked this recipe in a higher altitude so you will have to experiment and adjust. Please add a little warm water at a time until you have sticky dough. It’s important to look at the consistency.
The dough shouldn’t be WATERY or DRY. It should be thick and sticky and hold its shape when you oil it up.
You can use fresh yeast as well as we often did. We didn’t measure but a tablespoon of fresh yeast should be fine. If you use QUICK RISE, you will have to adjust the rest time. Active dry yeast is my favorite yeast to bake with.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
20 Responses
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to make it.
Does leaving the dough in the fridge longer than 12 hours affect the final result/ taste?
Thank you!
If you leave it in the fridge it slows down the rise process completely. I like to leave it in a cold oven for 12 hours overnight and bake the following day
The recipe is great but I used a parchment paper sheet and drizzled olive oil all over. It was lining 9×13 inch baking dish as the recipe called for. After it was done it was impossible to remove the parchment paper. I tried peeling it but it was stuck to the focaccia. I have made focaccia before without the parchment paper and it was great. This bread was ruined. Will not use parchment paper again.
Are you sure you didn’t use wax paper? Parchment paper and wax paper look similar. Parchment paper shouldn’t ever stick.
My precious Grandma taught me to cook when I was growing up in the 60s. She didn’t measure either. She would add ingredients until the recipe “looked right” so I get exactly what you’re saying. Although I haven’t tried this recipe, I fully intend to. Thank you Snej. “Let’s go!” ❤️
Aw Jackie that was so sweet 🙂
Thankyou so much for all your wonderful recipes, I have made quite a few ..
I have been looking for an easy focaccia recipe for some time now, I have found several but I wasn’t happy with the result,
now finally I have found the perfect recipe & exactly what I wanted.. I have picked a bagful of cherry tomatoes from our garden & will be using them, rosemary, olives,oregano & crushed garlic for topping..
Thankyou so much again
God Bless x
Georgina ..
So sweet Georgina! Makes me so happy to hear. Happy Sunday!
So easy! I pulled the ingredients together yesterday afternoon and just finished baking. My house smells amazing!!! This is first time I had ever made fresh bread and now will be making it all of the time! My husband will be very pleased as he is a big fan of fresh bread. Mmm yum!
OMG SO HAPPY 🙂
I missed the 5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating!!!
Aw thanks 🙂
It was amazing! Loved it
Felt like I made my own version of a focaccia I used to buy at a Italian bakery.
Is it possible to know the nutritional values please?
Hi Amanda! So happy to hear that hun. To get the accurate values you would plug in the ingredients into an app like my fitness pal and divide the total number by the amount of slices.
What is the maximum time you can let dough rise?
I would say 10-12 hours otherwise it can start to taste sour due to the yeast
First time I’ve made Focaccia. Turned out perfect! My house smells amazing and it’s already almost gone! Thank you for the easy and delicious recipe!
Hi Kaley! So proud of you! YOU ARE A PRO NOW 🙂
Love this recipe so much! I make it almost every week now.
So happy to hear that.