No-Knead Focaccia
This is my viral, no-knead focaccia recipe. Focaccia is a super soft and fluffy bread, perfect for sandwiches, scooping up sauces or as a side dish. I can almost guarantee it will quickly become your favorite focaccia recipe ever. It's practically fool-proof! It requires minimal hands-on effort yet yields golden perfection. The whole process is nothing short of miraculous.
Ingredients
- 500 ml warm water
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt NOT table salt
- 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast see note below if using active dry yeast
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 550 grams bread flour
Instructions
- Read my expert tips, FAQ and watch the video tutorial before beginning.
- To a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients in order as listed except the flour. Whisk together, then add the flour. Use a Danish dough hook or the neck of a wooden spoon to mix for at least 1 minute until a wet, sticky, shaggy dough is formed. This is the most work you'll do for this recipe. Then, cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.Note: This recipe uses sea salt, which has larger, coarser grains compared to fine table salt. This affects the quantity of salt and the saltiness in the bread. If you don't have sea salt, reduce the salt measurement to 2 teaspoons.500 ml warm water, 1 Tablespoon sea salt, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 550 grams bread flour
- Once the dough has rested for 10 minutes, it's time for the stretch and folds. For this recipe, I have recently adapted two types of stretches. The original recipe only used the stretch and fold method. See blog post above and "Everything Bagel Focaccia" recipe video for more thorough, step by step photos and video of these two stretches. STRETCH AND FOLD METHOD: This is the first type of stretch. First, wet your hands before proceeding as it will make it easier to handle the dough. Work your way around the dough like you are looking at clock. Perform a fold at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock by pulling the dough up and over to the other side of the bowl. Cover with a tea towel for 10 minutes.
- COIL METHOD: This is the second type of stretch. Wet your hands again. Gently loosen the edges of the dough by pulling it away from the sides of the bowl. Place your fingertips under the dough, so that you can pick it up in the middle. Allow the dough to unstick from the bowl and fold using its own weight, while you support the middle. Turn the bowl 90° and repeat to perform another coil fold. Do this method 3 more times, 10 minutes apart. With each set of folds, the dough gluten structure gets stronger, making it easier to lift and fold. Because this method was recently adapted to the recipe, see the full coil method shown in my "Everything Bagel Focaccia" recipe video.
- Coat the entire focaccia and bowl with oil, about 3 Tablespoons. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Let it rise in a warm spot at room temperature for at least 1 to 1 ½ hours or in the refrigerator for 4 to 12 hours. Read more about my alternative rising schedules in this blog post.Note: This first rise is called bulk fermentation. It allows the yeast to ferment the dough, developing flavor and helping the gluten structure form.
- Remove the plastic wrap. Move the bowl back and forth, opening up the bubbles and allowing the dough to breathe. Coat a generous layer of olive oil on the bottom of a 9"x13" inch aluminum, non-stick baking pan. For good measure, you may also line the bottom with parchment paper prior to drizzling the oil.
- Pour the dough into the pan. The dough may seem to "deflate" but don't fret. Fold the dough into thirds, rotate 90 degrees so that the dough is in line with the pan and flip over, revealing the smoother side on top. Gently spread the dough into the corners with your fingertips but don't force it. It will spread more in the second rise.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot at room temperature for at least 1 hour. The dough will continue to stretch and rise into the corners in this final proof. Please note, if you followed the refrigeration sample schedule, you need to let the dough come to room temperature and this may take two hours but up to four hours until the dough no longer feels cold and springs back when you press on it.Note: This second rise is called proofing. It occurs after the dough is shaped and placed in the baking tray. This shorter rise allows the dough to develop a little more volume and improves the final structure.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F / 232°C.
- When the oven is done pre-heating, remove the plastic wrap and lightly drizzle the top of the dough with olive oil.
- Coat your fingertips with some of the oil. This helps prevent sticking as you make your dimples. To do that, use your fingertips to press into the dough, creating soft indentations and bubbles on the entire surface. The dough should slowly spring back. We are looking for jiggly dough. Season with a generous pinch of sea salt and place into the oven for 22-25 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Depending on the strength of your oven, baking time may vary by a few minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool before slicing.
Notes
- The ideal temperature for bread to rise is between 74°F to 85°F / 23°C to 29°C. If your room feels drafty, place the bowl covered with a tea towel in the oven, with door closed and turned off. If it hasn’t doubled in size and bubbled up in the rise time, perform a set of folds, and let it sit for an additional 20 minutes.
- I highly recommend to weigh your dry and wet ingredients for best accuracy. Toggle between the US Customary and Metric tab in the ingredients section above for weight in grams. Shop my exact scale here. (affiliate link) If you don't have a scale, fluff the flour with a fork in its container, and then spoon it into the measuring cup before leveling off with a flat edge. Do not scoop directly into the flour bag. This will add way too much flour to the dough, making it dry!
- You may substitute instant yeast with active dry yeast at a 1:1 ratio but keep in mind, active dry yeast needs to be activated first. If using active dry yeast, first measure 240ml or 1 cup of the warm water from the recipe in a wide mouth cup or bowl. Add in a teaspoon of sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Whisk together to combine and let it sit for 8-10 minutes until foamy and bubbly on top. Then, add to the dry ingredients, along with the remainder of the water and proceed with baking directions. For extended instructions, see Active Dry Yeast vs. Instant Dry Yeast blog post.
- Focaccia is best enjoyed same day. Store leftovers at room temperature, wrapped completely in plastic wrap and a tea towel, up to two days. This method of wrapping helps retain moisture and keeps it fresh and soft. It does take away the crusty skin of bread but you are left with soft, edible bread, instead of a hard, dry loaf. Focaccia is perfect for sandwiches the next day.
Nutrition
Calories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 582mgPotassium: 46mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.4mg
The provided nutritional value above is an estimate per serving. 100% accuracy is not guarenteed. Please see Nutrition Information Disclaimer in our Privacy Policy.
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