After tasting focaccia, you’ll never go back to plain bread! This hearty No-Knead Homemade Focaccia is coated in olive oil and herbs, giving every bite a delicious flavor. The best part? Making an amazing loaf only takes 5 minutes of hands-on work. This delicious bread pretty much does the work for you!
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Exactly How Does No-knead Bread Work?
During the kneading process of making bread, you have to work a lot of elbow grease to align the gluten strands and form a matrix that gives the bread strength and texture.
In no-knead bread, the dough ferments overnight. During fermentation, enzymes break down the gluten in a process called autolysis, which makes it easier for them to untangle, align, and form the matrix that usually requires a great deal of kneading.
The overnight fermentation also adds a lot of flavor to the bread. In addition, since the yeast has so much time to multiply, you only need about 1/4 tsp of yeast instead of 2 tsp for a standard loaf! Win-win!
What Type of Yeast Can I Use?
A little unique about this no-knead bread is that it uses dry flour instead of water to allow the yeast to proof. Because it isn’t proofed first, you’ll need an instant yeast or bread machine yeast. The yeast in these types of dough does not need to be “wakened up” in warm water prior to use.
Focaccia is served with what?
There are so many uses for focaccia bread! It makes a great side dish for any meal, but I especially like it with soups and stews. Due to its hearty texture, it’s perfect for dipping, dunking, and sopping up sauces, stews, and soups. It’s also great for sandwiches, especially pressed sandwiches like paninis.
This bread can also be used to make pizzas and flatbreads. If you would like, you can top it with cheese, meat, or vegetables, then bake it again until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Put the extras in the freezer!
This recipe makes a lot of focaccia bread, so I highly recommend freezing the leftovers. You can enjoy homemade bread with any meal without much effort since most breads, including focaccia, freeze well.
When the focaccia is perfectly cool, cut it into slices (whichever size or shape suits you best) and place it in a gallon-sized freezer bag. At room temperature, the frozen no-knead focaccia thaws quickly.
Is whole wheat flour okay to use?
Yes, you can replace some of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. If you use all whole wheat flour, your bread will be heavy and dense, so I recommend only using some, up to 50%. Because whole wheat flour absorbs more moisture than all-purpose flour, you may need to use more water.
No-knead Focaccia Bread Recipe
The non-knead method makes it easy for you to make this fresh, hearty focaccia bread in just minutes. The bread is perfect for sandwiches or dunking into soups and stews.
Author: Beth
Servings: 12 squares
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour ($0.61)
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast ($0.02)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided ($0.32)
- 2 Tbsp cornmeal ($0.03)
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning ($0.30)
Instructions
- Prepare the flour the night before by combining it with the salt and yeast. Combine all ingredients until they are evenly blended. Add the water and stir until the dough forms a cohesive, sticky, shaggy ball with no dry flour left behind. If there is still dry flour in your bowl, add a little water (1-2 tablespoons) until the dough comes together (see the step-by-step photos for examples). The bowl should be left at room temperature for 12-18 hours after being covered loosely.
- By the next day, the dough will be moist, bubbly, and fluffy. Dust the top of the dough with flour, then scrape it from the sides. Turn the dough a few times in the bowl, so that it forms a ball.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with foil and drizzling it with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Spread the oil on the foil, then sprinkle cornmeal on top.
- Place the dough on the baking sheet. Make a large rectangle by stretching and patting the dough. To avoid sticking, dust your hands with flour throughout this process.
- Use a soft brush to apply olive oil evenly over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over top. Let the dough rise for an additional hour.
- In the preheated oven, preheat the oven to 425 °F. Use your fingers to create dimples in the risen dough. Bake the focaccia for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the focaccia to cool before serving.
Nutritional
Serving: 1 square ・ Calories: 177.83 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 33.13 g ・ Protein: 4.45 g ・ Fat: 2.69 g ・ Sodium: 356.03 mg ・ Fiber: 1.22 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
Equipment
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Enamelware Pan
Our equipment section contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an Amazon Associate, I can earn commissions on qualifying purchases.
You Can Try More No-Knead Homemade Bread Recipes:
- Classic No-Knead Bread
- Everything But the Bagel Sandwich Rounds
- No-Knead Focaccia Rolls
- Cranberry Walnut Bread
- No-Knead English Muffin Bread
How to Make No-knead Focaccia Bread – Step By Step Photos
As a first step, you will need to mix together well 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp instant yeast, and 1.5 tsp salt in a bowl.
Adding 2 cups water to the flour mixture requires some flexibility on your part. It’s possible to need to add more or less water depending on the humidity in your home and the fluctuations in flour measurement. In the next photos, I’ll show you what to look for.
Once the flour and water are mixed together, there should be no more dry flour left in the bowl after stirring the water into the flour. The dough in the photo above appears too dry. You can see the dry flour on the bottom of the bowl and the dough does not stick together. Add one or two tablespoons of water if this is your dough.
This is how your dough should look. There is no dry flour on the bottom of the bowl, and it is sticky but not slimy or shiny. Traditional bread dough is much drier than this style. After you cover the bowl loosely, allow it to sit for 12-18 hours at room temperature.
This is how the dough will look after 12-18 hours, after it has bubbled up and expanded.
To keep your hands from sticking, sprinkle flour over the dough and pull it from the sides. After turning the dough a few times, shape it into a ball. Make sure your hands are well floured while you do this.
When I folded the dough onto itself several times, this is what it looked like. Gluten matrix has developed well. As you can see, the surface is smooth and there are air bubbles trapped underneath.
Cover a baking sheet with foil, then drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over it. You will need to use your hands to spread the oil evenly over the foil, then sprinkle about 2 Tbsp cornmeal on top.
Place the dough ball on the prepared baking sheet and press and stretch it until it covers the entire surface. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the dough, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning on top (if you don’t have Italian seasoning, use a mix of basil, oregano, and red pepper).
The dough should rise for one hour (or a little longer if the room temperature is cool). When the rise time is nearly over, start preheating your oven to 425 degrees. You can make dimples in the dough by using your fingers.
After the focaccia has risen and the oven is fully preheated, transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.
Bubbles like these are so beautiful!
When the bread is cool, slice it into 12 squares or into strips, which are great for dipping and dunking in soups and stews.
