This no-knead Focaccia Recipe comes together with just a handful of ingredients and almost no effort. Mix, rest overnight, and bake. In about 24 hours, you’ll have fresh, fluffy bread topped with cherry tomatoes, olives, and rosemary; simple, classic, and completely worth it.
You can have this focaccia on its own, or combined with these delicious recipes: Bread Dipping Oil, Roasted Italian Tomatoes and Marinated Feta.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Focaccia lover
- Ken loves making bread
- Perfect as an appetizer or side dish
- Great by itself or with a meal
- Love the crispy to soft texture
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6.5QT Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, Heavy Duty Pro 10-Speed Electric Mixer, Stainless Steel
4.4 QT Baking Dish, 9×13 Large Casserole Dish for Oven
15.8”×9.8” Cooling Rack, 3P Stainless Steel Baking Rack, Oven Safe
Focaccia Bread Ingredients
With its signature dimpled surface and fluffy interior, this Italian focaccia bread recipe is delicious on its own or topped with herbs, garlic, rosemary, sea salt, tomatoes, or other favorite ingredients. The generous drizzle of olive oil creates a rich flavor and beautifully crisp edges.
Recipe Ingredients
Bread Flour – this is what gives focaccia that satisfying chew. You can use all-purpose in a pinch, but bread flour makes a difference.
Lukewarm water – not hot, not cold. Warm to the touch is perfect.
Dry yeast – is what makes the dough rise slowly overnight. Make sure it’s not expired.
Fine sea salt – to season the dough.
Granulated sugar – gives the yeast a little boost to get started.
Olive oil – use a good one. It goes in the dough and in the pan, and you’ll taste it.
Olives – briny and delicious, they’re a classic focaccia topping.
Rosemary – fresh is best, but dried works too.
Flaky sea salt – sprinkle generously right before it goes in the oven.
Cherry tomatoes – they get jammy and sweet as they roast. So good. Cut them in half and put them in cut-side up.
How to make Focaccia Bread
In a medium bowl, mix the water, yeast, and sugar. Whisk until combined and let it sit for 5 minutes. You’re looking for a foamy surface, which means the yeast is alive and active.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir with a spoon or use your hands until the dough comes together into a wet, shaggy mass with no dry flour left. Give the dough a few stretches and folds in the bowl; this develops the gluten and builds that elastic, airy structure. The dough should feel sticky and stretchy; if it seems too loose, add a little more flour.
Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and rest for 10 minutes.
First proof: Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil into a clean bowl, add the dough, and turn it to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 to 72 hours. The longer it rests, the more complex the flavor gets.
Second proof: Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil into your baking pan (9×13″) and transfer the dough. Press it gently into a rough rectangle. Drizzle another tbsp of olive oil over the top, cover loosely with a damp towel, and let it rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 390°F.
When the dough is puffy and risen, use your fingers to press deep dimples all over the surface. Top with olives, rosemary, tomatoes cut in half (cut side up), and season well with salt, and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 30 minutes until the top is deep golden and the edges are crispy. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Pro Tips
Focaccia Recipe Tips
- Before the first proof, give the dough a few stretches and folds right in the bowl. This helps develop the gluten and builds that elastic, airy structure. The dough should feel sticky and stretchy, if it seems too loose, add a little more flour until it holds together better.
- Once the second proof is done, resist the urge to touch it. Those bubbles are what give focaccia its signature texture, and pressing or moving the dough at this stage will deflate them.
- Oven temperature also matters more than it seems. Make sure your oven is fully preheated to 390°F before the focaccia goes in; this is what gives you a fluffy interior and crispy edges.
How long does Focaccia keep?
Focaccia keeps well at room temperature for up to 3 days, wrapped or stored in an airtight container. If you want it to last longer, it will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. To bring it back to life, pop it in a hot oven for 3 to 5 minutes, it comes out warm and crispy, almost like fresh.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
This focaccia bread recipe is almost entirely hands-off. There’s no kneading, no complicated technique, just a little mixing and a lot of patience. That said, it’s not a last-minute recipe. The long, slow proof is what builds the flavor, so plan ahead and give it the time it needs.
It also makes a big focaccia, which is part of the appeal. This is the kind of bread you bring to a gathering or set out for a crowd, and it never lasts long.
LOVE BREAD MAKING AND WANT MORE?
Ken is the breadmaker in this house, and he loves always coming up with a new recipe. Here are some of our new favorites.
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Pin it HERE!!
Focaccia Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water (100°F)
- 1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
Toppings
- 12-16 olives black and green, pitted
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved lenghwise
- Flaky sea salt to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the water, yeast, and sugar. Whisk until combined and let it sit for 5 minutes. You're looking for a foamy surface, which means the yeast is alive and active.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir with a spoon or use your hands until the dough comes together into a wet, shaggy mass with no dry flour left. Give the dough a few stretches and folds in the bowl; this develops the gluten and builds that elastic, airy structure. The dough should feel sticky and stretchy; if it seems too loose, add a little more flour. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and rest for 10 minutes.
- First proof: Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil into a clean bowl, add the dough, and turn it to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 to 72 hours. The longer it rests, the more complex the flavor gets.
- Second proof: Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil into your baking pan (9×13") and transfer the dough. Press it gently into a rough rectangle. Drizzle another tbsp of olive oil over the top, cover loosely with a damp towel, and let it rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 390°F.When the dough is puffy and risen, use your fingers to press deep dimples all over the surface. Top with olives, halved cherry tomatoes (cut side up), rosemary and season well with salt, and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the top is deep golden and the edges are crispy. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
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